


I Counted the Stars (and they led to you)

by Bootsncatz (bootsncatz)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: 10 page sex scene, 30k words, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Auror Nicole Haught, Auror Wynonna Earp, Christmas Fluff, Don’t worry they’re only two years apart, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Ilvermorny House - Wampus, Kinda, One Shot, Ravenclaw Waverly Earp, Smut, Wampus Nicole Haught, be warned, no huge age gap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 02:36:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13114179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bootsncatz/pseuds/Bootsncatz
Summary: Waverly's last year of Hogwarts was supposed to be simple, but maybe a young Auror saving her from a bad date in Hogsmead and sweeping her off her feet was the kind fo complication she needed. Wayhaught Hogwarts AU.





	I Counted the Stars (and they led to you)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> This started out as a short little Christmas one shot and turned into a bit of a beast once I got started. I absolutely love Harry Potter and Wynonna Earp and wanted to take a stab at bringing them together. 
> 
> Special shoutout to my beta [theGayNerd](https://twitter.com/iamthegaynerd) for betaing this beast for me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy and happy holidays!

“Ugh. Of course!” Wynonna said holding the parchment envelope far above her head. She shook it a little just as Waverly ran down the stairs of the McCready home to snatch it from her hands.

“Finally,” Waverly said clutching the envelope to her chest, “I thought it would never come.”

“And surprise, surprise, you’re fucking Head Girl,” Wynonna scoffed. She plopped herself down in the kitchen chair, kicking one foot up on the wooden table.

Waverly ripped open the envelope, papers being cast aside as she dumped the badge out on the table. It landed with a dull thud and she reached for it. Her fingers hit the wood as the badge disappeared and reappeared in Wynonna’s hand. 

“Is this what you're looking for, sis?” Wynonna mocked with a tilt of her head. 

The light caught the shiny blue surface of the badge. “Head Girl” was engraved on the top in swirly letter and Waverly snatched it back. 

“You’re lucky I can’t do magic outside of school yet,” Waverly muttered as she ran her thumb reverently over the badge’s surface. She had been waiting anxiously over the last week to see if her hard work through the last six years of school had paid off. And it did.

“Only because you’re a git,” Wynonna said as she sat heavily in one of the kitchen chairs, “I was doing magic outside of school way before I was seventeen. And look at me. Top Auror in the Ministry.”

“Hardly,” Waverly said as Wynonna put both of her heavy boots on the kitchen table, squashing her supply list under the heel. She shot her older sister a look and snatched the papers from under her boot. “If you were the top Auror, Potter wouldn’t be on your case all the time.”

“It’s because he loves me,” Wynonna answered breezily.

“It’s probably because you’re always drinking on the job.”

“It helps me think.”

“Certainly doesn’t help you do paperwork.”

The eldest Earp’s feet were suddenly pushed off the table by some unseen force, her body lurching forward in the chair as she balanced herself again. She scowled at Waverly who held up her hands in innocence.

“Wynonna, you know better then to have your boots on my table,” Gus said as she came down the stairs. She glared at Wynonna who just leaned back in her chair again.

“Sorry, Gus,” she mumbled.

“Now, did I hear right?” Gus said looking over at Waverly, “Are you Head Girl?”

Waverly nodded in excitement and Gus looped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her from the side. “Your Uncle Curtis would be proud,” she said with a wink, “He was Hufflepuff Head Boy himself you know.”

Waverly swallowed a knot in her throat at the mention of her Uncle’s name, a sad smile on her lips. “Thanks.”

Gus kissed the side of Waverly’s head and released her. She snapped her fingers and pots flew from the cabinets onto the stove, ingredients coming together over them. Waverly sat at the table next to Wynonna and smoothed out her supply list. She already had most of the books because she had got them for some light summer reading, so her Diagon Alley shopping would be minimal. It was more of a tradition than anything now.

Her heart skipped a beat as she read over the list in the familiar loopy writing, a smile tilting the corners of her mouth. Something told her that this year...this year was going to be extra special.

***

“Waverly!”

The youngest Earp turned in the direction of her name and saw Chrissy running down the hall towards her. Her shoes echoed over the stone walls as she approached, black and blue robes trailing behind her. She skidded to a halt in front of Waverly who looked at her with a single raised eyebrow and a smile.

“What’s the rush, Chrissy? Peeves on your tail?” Waverly said as the taller girl linked their arms together. They continued the path to potions, the smell of earth getting stronger as they got deeper into the dungeons.

“I heard a rumor about you,” Chrissy said with a smug smile.

Waverly frowned, “A rumor is hardly a good thing.”

“This one is,” Chrissy assured her, “I heard that Champ is going to ask you to accompany him to the Three Broomsticks on our next Hogsmead trip.”

“The one tomorrow?” Waverly asked with a scrunch to her nose, “What if I had plans already?”

“Do you?”

“No.”

“Then perfect,” Chrissy said squeezing her arm, “He’s the cutest Seventh year you know. And he’s on the Quidditch team.”

Waverly shrugged. She had heard all of the boys credentials before. In theory he was the perfect candidate for a boyfriend. Champ was attractive, Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and not entirely stupid. Entirely. Girls of all years drooled over him. Waverly would admit that she had a brief crush on the boy in her fourth and fifth year, but it faded as she got more into her studies.

“We’ll see,” Waverly said, “I know I don’t have a lot of options-”

“Don’t say that,” Chrissy interrupted, bumping Waverly with her hip.

“It’s true though, isn’t it? Most people just hear my last name and turn heel,” Waverly said as they got closer to the classroom.

“Are you going to say yes? When he asks?” Chrissy asked ignoring the brunette.

Waverly shook her head, “No.”

***

It was a lie. Waverly did accept his invitation.

He came up to her after potions and asked with a couple of his other dumb friends cheering him on in the background. Waverly thought that maybe it would be fine. He was cute, after all, and all the other girls wanted him which made him desirable. Right?

Waverly was fairly popular in her own right. She worked hard in school and did all she could to stay as far from her family name as possible. She was a chaser on the Quidditch team, and a pretty damn good one at that. Every professor loved her and she was well regarded as the nicest person at Hogwarts. Not to mention she was very involved in the Dueling Club. She had even attempted to bring back S.P.E.W.! A valiant but all together doomed effort. Though it earned her a wink from her poster of the Minister of Magic that was posted above her desk. And a wink from Hermione Granger was basically a blessing. There had been other boys...but she found most of them fairly dull. Maybe Champ could be different.

At least, that’s what she had thought when she agreed to the date. But now, a half hour into their Hogsmead trip and Champ had barely looked at her once. In the eyes anyways. She caught him looking at her breasts many a time and the other times he was either looking at other girls or doing something dumb with his friends. Waverly was miserable. 

Here she thought that she might at least have a date for her birthday the next weekend. But she was sorely mistaken.

Champ had swung a heavy arm around her shoulders as him and his buddies began walking towards the outskirts of Hogsmead. She knew almost immediately where they were going and stiffened.

“Do we really have to go here?” Waverly asked, “Can’t we just go back and get a butterbeer.”

“No way, Waves,” Champ said as the Shrieking Shack became visible in the distance, “It’s a tradition. Carl and I see how close we can get without getting spooked. It’s fun, you’ll love it.”

Waverly shifted uncomfortably. “We’re really not supposed to-”

“It’s fine, babe, no one will know,” Champ said dully.

Waverly wasn’t afraid of the shack. She knew the rumors of it being haunted and cursed were farfetched to say the least. But she did know that Death Eaters and Voldemort himself had used it as a hideout during the Battle of Hogwarts and that was enough to make her want to stay away.

Champ only dropped his arm from around her when they approached the fence that surrounded the shack. He jumped over it, Carl not far behind while the other boys leaned against the fence to watch. Waverly remained a distance away with her arms crossed over her chest. She clenched her jaw as the two boys snickered to themselves and began a slow walk towards the shack. They kept trying to trip and push each other, much like something Waverly had seen monkeys do at the London Zoo once. 

Suddenly Champ pushed Carl just hard enough that he slipped and fell face first in the snow. The onlookers cheered as Champ took off running towards the shack. He was only a few yards away when it looked like something had caught him around the ankle and yanked him into the air. There was silence for a moment as the other boys gaped in shock, Waverly’s heart faltering for a moment. 

Maybe the shack was haunted.

“Can I help you boys?” a voice said from besides Waverly. She looked over and saw a taller woman with pale skin and red hair, her wand pointed at Champ who still hung suspended in the air. Waverly actually felt her breath hitch, eyes scanning over the woman’s serious face as she looked at Champ hanging in the air. His robes fell around his face and he tried to push them aside to see what was happening. Carl quickly crawled back over the fence like he’d never breached the perimeter. All the boys turned and looked at the woman who looked less than amused. “You all know you’re not supposed to be near the Shrieking Shack. Am I correct?”

Waverly was taken aback by the woman’s American accent for a moment before remembering that she was...probably in trouble.

“Ma’am, just so you know, I did not encourage this in any way,” Waverly said with a serious nod.

Brown eyes looked at her for the first time and all Waverly heard was the _thump_ of Champ falling into the snow. The redhead quickly looked back over to the boys, her wand pointed uselessly at them.

“We weren’t doing anything wrong,” Champ huffed as he scrambled back to his feet, snow all over his robes, “We were just messing around.”

“You’re on private property,” the woman said sternly as she let her wand arm fall to her side, “Now get off before I have to report you.”

Champ stomped like a child back to the fence, “Who are you to be telling me what to do?”

The woman raised a challenging eyebrow at him and held open one side of her coat to reveal a Department of Magical Law Enforcement Badge. “Haught. I’m an Auror. Now get off the property.”

Champ crawled over the fence deliberately slow while his friends snickered at him.

“Some Auror if you got stuck in Hogsmead,” Champ mumbled as he shot her a look, wiping the snow off his robes as best he could.

“Leave,” the woman said lowly. Something vibrated through the air and the boys scurried off, Champ in the back.

“Come one, Waverly,” Champ said as he grabbed the brunette’s hand roughly. She dug her heels into the ground and wrenched her hand away. He stared at his empty hand for a moment, confused.

“I’m not going anywhere, Champ,” Waverly said firmly. He stared at her for a moment before scoffing and walking away. She rolled her eyes and tightened her robe around her body. She muttered to herself, “Boys are so stupid.”

A deep chuckle came from besides her and Waverly blushed remembering the woman next to her. 

“I couldn’t agree with that more,” the Auror said slipping her wand back in the inside pocket of her long dark, “Sorry I chased your boyfriend away.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Waverly said with a shiver, “I should be thanking you from saving me from the worst date ever.”

Haught smiled, two dimples appearing on her cheeks and Waverly felt her heart flutter. “Then you’re welcome.”

Her voice was low and cracked warmly. Like a warm fire Waverly wanted to wrap herself in or a shot of firewhiskey that went straight to her bones. It was disarming.

They stood staring at each other for a moment too long before Waverly cleared her throat and looked away. “Right, well, I guess I better be going back into town.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Haught said slipping her hands into the pockets of her dark pants, “Make sure you don’t get into anymore trouble.” She had a blue button up tucked into them, vest matching her pants over that and her badge shining impressively on her chest. Waverly loosened the scarf around her neck a little, suddenly feeling warm.

They fell into step together and Waverly asked, “So, you’re stuck babysitting Hogwarts students then?” She blushed, realizing how that might come off and quickly amended, “I mean...You seem young for an Auror anyways I bet this is-...good.”

Her blush only deepened and she dared a look over at the taller woman who had a small smile on her face. Waverly let out a small sigh of relief at the sight.

“I can’t complain,” Nicole said as they got further into the town, “At least there’s interesting people to meet.”

She smiled her dimpled smile and Waverly felt like all the blood had left her head, dizziness overtaking her for a moment. Looking away, she tucked brown hair behind her ear and watched the buildings come into view.

“Sorry again for chasing off your friends,” Nicole said as they got into the town. There were other students milling about, going in and out of the stores. Chrissy was peering out of one of Dervish and Banges’ windows at the pair curiously, but Waverly just shrugged at her and turned back to Nicole.

“No, you did me a favor,” Waverly said with a roll of her eyes, “Guess I won’t have a date for my birthday after all.”

The Auror’s head cocked like a puppy. “Is today your birthday?”

Waverly shook her head, “No, um...next week it’s...not important. Anyways-”

Chrissy was in the shop gesturing wildly at Waverly to join her inside. Waverly gestured at her to go away but the other girl remained undeterred, her movements only getting wilder.

“Well, I should let you go,” Haught said with a chuckle, “You’re obviously very popular…?” She left off at the end of her sentence like she was waiting for Waverly to complete it. She blinked up at the other girl for a moment before it clicked.

“Oh! Waverly. My name is Waverly,” she said breathily.

“Waverly,” Haught said with a smile, “I’m Nicole. Nicole Haught. Nice to meet you.” 

She pulled her hand from her pocket and held it out for Waverly to shake. The shorter girl took it, taking note of how soft and warm Nicole’s hands were.

“Nice to meet you too, Nicole,” Waverly practically sighed, involuntarily fluttering her lashes at her, “I’ll um...see you around. Probably.”

“Probably,” Nicole nodded as she finally dropped her hand. Waverly smiled at her one last time before turning around and walking towards Dervish and Banges. She could still feel Nicole’s eyes on her and blushed as she ducked into the store.

Chrissy was staring at her, eyes wide. “Who was that?”

“Her name is Nicole,” Waverly said looking back over her shoulder to see the retreating back of the Auror.

“And where’d Champ go?” Chrissy asked with a smirk, twirling a Sneakoscope in her hands.

Waverly rolled her eyes, “He was an idiot. I should have never agreed to go out with him.” She took the instrument from Chrissy’s hand and put it on a shelf, “Come on, let’s go to the Three Broomsticks.”

Chrissy looped her arm through Waverly’s as they exited the store. “She’s cute,” she said nonchalantly.

Waverly blushed, eyes straight ahead as she shrugged, “Yeah, I guess.”

The taller girl leaned into her friend, giving her a teasing smile. “I saw the way you looked at her, Waves. Don’t act like you’re not interested.”

“She’s cute,” Waverly relented as they walked into the Three Broomsticks, “Doesn’t mean anything more than that.”

***

_Happy birthday, baby girl. Have a great day. Try not to get into too much trouble._

__

__

_Love,  
Your favorite sister _

A smile quirked on Waverly's lips as the flask of fire whiskey fell from it’s wrapping. Leave it to Wynonna to get her alcohol. 

“You ready?” Chrissy said as she adjusted the beanie on her head. 

Waverly slipped the flask into the inside pocket of her coat and stood up from her bed. “Yep.”

She smoothed out her skirt and checked her hair in the mirror one last time before turning back towards her friend. Chrissy had a smug smirk on her face. 

“You expecting to see someone special?” Chrissy asked airily as they walked out of the dorm. 

“I just felt like dressing up for my birthday,” Waverly said, managing to control her blush. So maybe she had thought about the tall red headed Auror a few time since the week before. She was pretty, had kind eyes and a voice that made Waverly’s body warm. 

Thankfully Chrissy didn't seem to want to push the issue and Waverly felt content to just fidget awkwardly with her necklace. They began heading down the stairs of the tower and into the main hall to join the group of students already headed towards Hogsmead. 

As they stepped into the village, Waverly's eyes scanned the faces only to come up a little disappointed when she didn't see the redhead. They walked over to the Three Broomsticks, the warmth hitting them as soon as they stepped inside. Waverly loosened the scarf around her neck and took off her long coat, draping it over her arm.

“Go grab a table and I’ll get the drinks?” Chrissy said already headed towards the bar. Waverly’s eyes caught a familiar head of red hair standing at the bar and she grabbed Chrissy’s sleeve to stop her.

“Um, I’ll get the drinks,” Waverly said with a bright smile.

Chrissy frowned, “But it’s your birthday.”

“Exactly,” Waverly said as she steered her friend over towards a table, “Which means that I should be treating you because you’re my friend. Look, grab those seats near the fireplace. Thanks!”

She practically pushed Chrissy towards the open table and ran a hand through her hair before starting towards the bar. It was about two students deep at the moment, all of them trying to get butterbeer or a pumpkin juice. Waverly managed to squeeze to the front next to Nicole, trying to appear casual as she leaned her elbows on the wood. 

“Waverly?” she heard Nicole say from besides her.

She pretended to look surprised when she turned to look at the taller woman. “Oh! Hello! Fancy running into you here.”

Nicole smiled and Waverly felt her stomach flip a little. “I work here. Remember?”

“Right,” Waverly said with a nervous giggle, “You being a fancy Auror and all.”

“I don’t know about fancy,” Nicole shrugged, “Happy birthday by the way.”

Waverly’s smile widened, “You remembered?”

“Of course I remembered,” Nicole said looking away and waving down the barkeep, “Rosie, can I get a special birthday butterbeer for Waverly, please?”

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“Yes, I do,” Nicole interrupted as she slipped two sickles onto the bar, the barkeep setting a tankard down on the bar. The redhead slid it over to the brunette, smile still on her face. Waverly took it and Nicole held up her own, clinking their glasses together. “Happy birthday, Waverly.”

“Thank you,” Waverly said taking a sip, eyes still settled on brown, “You’re sweet.”

She was rewarded with a blush that only seemed to highlight Nicole’s dimples. Waverly sighed as she licked the foam mustache she knew had settled on top of her lip. And she was sure she watched Nicole look at her lips ever so briefly as she did so, looking away quickly as she cleared her throat. 

Waverly had no idea what she was doing. She could flirt, sure. It was something she had learned over time and was pretty good at...but something about this situation was felt different. And not because Nicole was a girl, she’d had plenty of crushes on girls. There was something about Nicole that just felt...different.

Nicole looked back at the brunette and chuckled. “Waverly, you um...have some foam right-” she pointed vaguely at Waverly’s lips. She blushed, any confidence she had waning quickly as she wiped blindly at her mouth. Nicole bit her lip, obviously holding in a laugh and shaking her head. 

“It’s more-...here,” Nicole said pointing closer to her face, “Can I?”

Waverly nodded and Nicole reached forward, swiping a thumb across the corner of Waverly’s lip. The shorter girl felt her breath hitch in her throat at the contact. “Got it.”

“Thank you,” Waverly breathed out, looking up at Nicole. She was sure her eyes were mooney, but she didn’t think she could stop it at this point.

“No problem,” Nicole said softly.

“Waverly, what’s taking-” Chrissy stopped herself when she saw Nicole standing next to her friend, “Oh. Hello.”

“Hi,” Nicole said looking between the two for a moment, “I’m Nicole.”

“I know-”

Waverly kicked her as subtly as she could. 

“I mean, hello,” the other girl corrected quickly, “I’m Chrissy. Waverly’s friend.”

“Nice to meet you,” Nicole said with a chuckle.

Chrissy had a look come over her face like she had the best idea in the world, smile wide and slightly menacing. “Nicole, why don’t you join us at our table? It’s nice and by the fire and everything.”

“Um...I’m off duty so...sure,” Nicole said picking up her drink. Waverly blushed, silently hoping that Chrissy didn’t continue to embarrass her as they all made their way to the table. Chrissy quickly sat so that Nicole had to sit next to Waverly.

“Have you had a good birthday so far?” Nicole asked as she sat.

Waverly smiled brightly, “Yeah! My sister sent me some fire whiskey which...I promise is very sweet. And my Aunt sent me some new flying gloves.”

“You play Quidditch?” Nicole asked. 

“For Ravenclaw. Chaser,” Waverly said proudly, sticking out her chest a little.

“She’s the best chaser on the team for sure,” Chrissy said with a serious nod, “And probably the best flyer.”

Waverly giggled nervously, “No that's-...she's overselling me.”

“It's true,” Chrissy said with a shrug. Her eyes got wide like she had a brilliant idea. Waverly hated when she got that face. “Nicole! You should come to her next game! It's next weekend.”

“I-...no you don't have to come,” Waverly said trying to play it off, “Plus, it's against Hufflepuff so it's an easy win.”

Chrissy snickered at the comment but Nicole just looked confused.

“Hufflepuff is the yellow one, right?” Nicole asked with the cute tilt of her head that made Waverly sigh every time. 

“You didn't go to Hogwarts!” Chrissy whispered excitedly, “Did you go to Ilvermorny?”

Nicole nodded, “Best wizarding school in the world.”

Waverly gasped in fake offense, “I can't believe you just said that in a pub full of Hogwarts students. We should kick you out.”

“I'm just telling the truth,” Nicole said with a cocky grin as she took a look big sip of her drink. 

“How did a Yank like you end up here anyways?” Waverly asked nursing her own drink. 

“I'm part of an exchange system of sorts with the Ministry,” Nicole explained, “I'm training in their Auror program. It's some kind of fancy thing they're doing with MACUSA that I'm apart of.”

She waved it off to bring some levity to the statement, but Waverly had a feeling it was a much larger deal then she was making it out to be. 

“That’s really cool,” Waverly said as Nicole finished off her drink.

“Unfortunately, my next shift is about to start and I’ll have to leave you girls,” Nicole said, eyes on Waverly, “What time is your game next week?”

“Uh-”

“Half past three,” Chrissy interrupted, smug grin still on her face.

“Sounds good,” Nicole smiled widely at Waverly, “See you later.”

“See you later,” Waverly said as Nicole stood up and winked at the brunette. Her entire body flushed and she stared down at the glass between her hands. She licked her lips before looking over her shoulder to watch the redhead as she walked out of the pub. Waverly let her eyes wander over the retreating form, smile crinkling her eyes. When she turned back around Chrissy looked as smug as ever.

Waverly tried to control her smile. “What?”

“She’s really cute,” Chrissy said with a serious nod, “And she’s going to come to your game next week.”

“She might not,” Waverly said shaking her head, “She was just being nice.”

Chrissy leaned forward and poked Waverly’s arm. “She’s super cool and was totally checking you out.”

“Isn’t she?” Waverly sighed, “And she wasn’t checking me out at all.”

“Sure, whatever you say,” Chrissy said with a sarcastic nod. 

“She's older anyways. She's out of school. There's no way she'd be interested in me,” Waverly said wistfully. 

Chrissy tilted her head in thought. “She's not that much older then us. I'm sure. I'll find out when she comes to your game.”

“She's not coming,” Waverly insisted, even as she silently hoped she would. 

***

Waverly was having a great game. She had scored eighty points for Ravenclaw and had pulled quite the impressive move if she did say so herself. A bludger was coming at her face and she quickly spun her broom so she was hanging upside down from it to dodge the bludger while simultaneously intercepting a the quaffle. It was a total happy accident, but it looked amazing so she was going to take credit for it. 

Though every few minutes she found herself scanning the stands for familiar red hair. She had only talked to Nicole twice and really shouldn’t have been expecting her to come to the game but she still hoped. She hated that the thought was distracting her when she should be focusing, but she couldn't help it. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two seekers take off towards the other end of the pitch. The snitch must have been spotted. She could hear the announcer giving the play by play but couldn't register any of the words they were saying with the other players whirling around her. Just as she was speeding towards the quaffed, she heard the crowd roar in celebration. She looked up to see the Ravenclaw seeker holding the snitch high above their head in celebration. Waverly pulled her broom to a stop and turned it to join the rest of her team as they celebrated. 

She looked over at the stands again. Her heart stopped a little when she saw Nicole looking back at her from the crowd. An impossibly big smile spread over her lips and the redhead smiled back. She waved, nearly falling off her broom when her teammate hugged her in celebration. 

Waverly looked over at them and returned the hug before looking back to the stands but Nicole was gone.

***

“Maybe she had a big sexy Auror emergency,” Chrissy said with a lopsided smile, wriggling her eyebrows. 

Waverly rolled her eyes, alcohol loosening her lips. “She is sexy isn't she. She must be a great dueler too.”

Chrissy giggled and sunk further into the plush blue armchair. Most of the other students had gone up to their dorms for the night after the celebration party so they were fairly alone. The alcohol was almost out of Waverly's system at this point, but there was enough that she felt brave. She stood up from her chair and ran a hand through her hair, still windblown from flying. 

“I'm going to go find her,” she decided suddenly. Seemed like a good idea. Just take the secret passage Wynonna had told her about to Hogsmead and find the redhead. Shouldn't be too hard. 

“Right now?” Chrissy asked, “You really have a thing for her don't you?”

“No!” Waverly said retrieving her coat from the back of the chair and slipping it on, “I just...want to know why she didn't stay.”

“Okay,” Chrissy said doing a once over of Waverly with her eyes, “You look super cute right now. So go for it.”

Waverly looked down at the simple skirt and top she'd changed into after the game and nodded. “Okay...wish me luck.”

“You definitely don't need it,” Chrissy said with wink, “Wake me up when you get back and tell me everything.”

With one final nod, Waverly left Ravenclaw tower and headed to the third floor and the statue of the one-eyed witch. She’d never actually tried the secret passage before, so she really hoped that Wynonna wasn’t pulling her leg as some sort of elaborate joke. She looked at the statue for a moment, doing a quick look down the hall to make sure no one was watching and slipped behind it. She pulled her wand from her sleeve and tapped the hump.

_“Dissendium.”_

There was silence for a moment and Waverly almost cursed her sister’s name before a small opening appeared in the witch’s hump. It was just large enough for her to slip through and as soon as she did, she was going down a slide that dumped her into a long corridor. 

“Lumos,” she said, the tip of her wand lighting up and illuminating the pathway. “At least I know Wynonna wasn’t lying,” she said as she heard the entryway close behind her. 

She walked until she reached what looked like a cellar door. She opened it carefully, peering her head inside and realizing she was in the Honeydukes store room. At least if the crates of treats was to be believed. She wondered where she should go from here. To the Three Broomsticks probably. Everything else in town was probably closed and if Nicole was staying somewhere in town, it would be there. 

Closing her eyes, she apparated to the front of the pub. She took a moment to regain her footing, stomach feeling a little off after the travel. After a moment she walked into the pub, thankful that no one seemed too interested in her as she entered. She wandered up to the bar, recognizing the barkeep from the other week. Hopefully she didn’t remember she was a student.

“Hello,” Waverly said trying to act casual, “I’m looking for a Nicole Haught.”

The dark haired woman squinted at her for a moment as if she was trying to figure out where she recognized her from. It made Waverly nervous. “Sure,” she said giving her a once over, “She’s in room three.”

“Thank you,” Waverly said with a smile, turning away before the woman changed her mind. She quickly went up the stairs and found Nicole’s room. Smoothing out her shirt and pushing some hair behind her ear, Waverly knocked nervously. There was shuffling on the other side before she heard the click of the locks and the door opened. 

Nicole was standing there, hair messy, dressed in a tank top and flannel bottoms. She had a sweater pulled around her shoulders and Waverly felt her mouth dry up.

“Waverly?” Nicole said looking shocked. She stuck her head out of the door and looked around the hall. She grabbed Waverly’s wrist and pulled her into the room. Waverly blinked in surprise as Nicole spoke again, “I-...what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” Waverly said with a blush, “And to see why you didn’t stick around after the game.”

Nicole faltered at those words and Waverly swore there was a smile on her face. “You’re supposed to be in your dorm,” Nicole said directing Waverly to a comfortable looking armchair. She took a moment around the room which was fairly small. There was a bed in one corner with a window over it and a fireplace on the other side of the room and the armchair she was sitting in was situated in front of it.

Waverly shrugged, “I...it’s not a big deal.”

Nicole sat in another armchair opposite of Waverly. “I should really send you back,” Nicole said even as her eyes darted over Waverly’s form.

“But you’re not going to,” Waverly whispered with a shy smile.

Nicole sighed and leaned back in her chair, “Yeah...I’m not going to. Not at this moment anyways. You have ten minutes.”

“Only ten minutes?” Waverly asked leaning forward in her chair, elbows on her knees.

“Only ten,” Nicole said, dimples on full display, “Then I walk you back through whatever passage you took to get here that I’m sure you’re not supposed to know about.”

Waverly’s smile widened and the two stared at each other a little too long before the redhead looked away. 

“So you literally just came down here to see me?”

The brunette blushed and played with the edge of her skirt. “Yes,” she admitted, “I just...I saw you at the Quidditch game and then you disappeared.”

“I didn’t want to intrude,” Nicole said.

“What if I wanted you to intrude?” Waverly said softly, looking up at Nicole through her lashes. She watched a blush creep up Nicole’s neck and wished the chairs were just a little closer together.

“Waverly,” Nicole shook her head and ran a hand through her already messy hair, “You’re a student.”

“I’m of age,” Waverly said easily.

Nicole stood up abruptly, waving her wand over herself so that her pajamas transformed into pants and a sweater. “I’m taking you back, Waverly.”

Waverly felt a small panic in her chest, hoping she didn’t go too far with coming here. “I’m sorry-”

The redhead walked over to Waverly and put a hand on her arm with a smile, “It’s okay. Don’t apologize. Please? I just-...you’re really not supposed to be off of school grounds.”

Waverly pouted and watched Nicole take her coat off a hook. She shrugged it on and Waverly stood up. “So you sure we have to go back?”

“Yes,” Nicole said, still smiling, “Now how did you get here?”

“Tunnel under Honeydukes,” Waverly mumbled. 

Nicole strode towards Waverly until they were inches apart, the breath catching in the shorter girl’s throat. The redhead smirked in a way that told Waverly she knew exactly the effect she was having on the Earp. Waverly felt Nicole’s hand reach for hers, their fingers lacing together.

“Ready?” Nicole asked softly.

“For what?” Waverly breathed.

There was a strong pull in her stomach and she felt a pressure in her chest, the world swirling around her like it was going down a drain. A second later they were in the Honeydukes storeroom again.

“Alright,” Nicole said squeezing Waverly’s hand before letting go, fingers brushing lightly over her palm, “Now where?”

Waverly sighed, skin still tingling from the contact of Nicole’s fingers. “This way,” she said leading her towards the small door she had come through. They both slipped into the passage and Waverly lit the tip of her wand to light the dark tunnel.

“Geez, Waverly, how did you find this?” Nicole asked as she followed.

“Family secret,” Waverly said with a wink.

Nicole chuckled and lit the tip of her wand too. They walked down the passage, close enough that their arms brushed each other as they walked.

“Is this a habit of yours? Sneaking into Hogsmead?” Nicole asked.

Waverly shook her head, “That was more my sister’s style. I guess you just...bring the bad girl out of me.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good thing,” Nicole said even though Waverly could see the blush on her cheeks even in the low lighting.

She bit her lip and continued. “When did you start your Auror program?”

“Right after school so almost two years ago now,” Nicole said.

Waverly made a mental note to tell Chrissy she was right about Nicole’s possible age. “Are you having fun?”

“Fun maybe isn’t the exact word for it,” Nicole said, “But it is enjoyable. I’m not sure about your Ministry's idea of getting to their offices though. Standing in a toilet? Seems a little primitive.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that it’s a tried and true method. How do they do it at MACUSA?” Waverly said bumping against Nicole playfully.

“You literally just walk into the Chrysler Building and you’re there,” Nicole said, “No stepping into a toilet needed.”

“Seems like a surefire way for a Muggle to walk into your offices.”

“There’s never been an issue with any No-Maj walking in,” Nicole teased, “Guess our enchantments are better.”

“Impossible,” Waverly said as they reached the One Eyed Witch again. 

They stopped at the end, the two turning to each other. The way the light from their wands bounced off the walls of the secret passage lit up Nicole’s features just so. Waverly let her eyes drink her in and wished they were somewhere a little more romantic than a dark dusty tunnel. They were close. So close that Waverly could smell her perfume.

“Thank you for walking me back,” Waverly said softly.

Waverly let her fingers grip the edge of Nicole’s coat, fingers brushing over metal buttons. She licked her lips and watched Nicole’s eyes dart down to watch the path of her tongue.

“My pleasure,” Nicole breathed. Waverly felt the taller girl’s hands settle loosely on her hips and she took another step closer. She wished she was taller to brush their noses together but she settled on letting her hands rest over Nicole’s collarbones, fingers playing with the collar of her jacket. She smiled when Nicole pressed their foreheads together and nuzzled her nose.

“Waverly,” Nicole whispered, “I…”

“Yes?” Waverly said, her fingers tightening in Nicole’s collar.

Nicole exhaled hard, eyes darting over Waverly’s face. Waverly felt a pulling deep in her stomach, her entire body covered in tingles as she silently hoped Nicole would close the gap between their lips. Nicole leaned forward a little and Waverly’s eyes fluttered shut in anticipation. Her lips were slightly parted, ready to connect when she felt soft lips press into the corner of her mouth before disappearing.

“I-...I’ll see you later?” Nicole whispered. Waverly turned her head a little, nose brushing over the side of Nicole’s and their lips barely touching. She was about to close the gap when Nicole took a step back, visibly swallowing a lump in her throat. 

“See you later, Waverly,” Nicole said squeezing her hips gently before dropping her hands, “Goodnight.”

Waverly stood still as her hands slid from Nicole’s collar, blinking at the other girl. Her entire body was on edge, lips still tickling from the kiss that almost was as Nicole walked away.

“Night,” Waverly said to Nicole’s retreating back.

***

Chrissy's eyes were the size of saucers as Waverly told her what had happened the night before. They ate their usual traditional breakfast as they were talking. Waverly sighed dreamily when she got to the kiss. Well, almost kiss. If she closed her eyes long enough she could still feel Nicole's lips on the corner of her mouth. 

“She's so hot,” Chrissy sighed, “So dreamy.”

“She would have been a lot dreamier if she let me kiss her,” Waverly mumbled as she cut into her pancakes. 

“When are you seeing her again?” Chrissy asked. 

Waverly shrugged, “I don't know. I don't think she'd be happy if I showed up at her room again.”

“You should go tonight,” Chrissy said ignoring her friend, “Get all dolled up. Go blow her mind.”

Now a deep shade of red, Waverly shook her head. “I'm definitely not going to do that.”

The rest of the day, Waverly's mind was only on the redhead. How her perfume made her light headed and the way she held her made her feel like she was something special. 

At dinner Chrissy tried to convince Waverly once again to go back to Hogsmead. Waverly wasn’t entirely sure what Chrissy thought might happen if she did. She probably hoped that Waverly would jump Nicole and they’d spend the whole night kissing by the fire. Waverly sighed into her soup at the thought. 

Even as they walked from the Dining Hall up to the Ravenclaw dorms, Chrissy kept trying to convince her to go back to Hogsmead. But Waverly kept insisting that she wasn’t going to. She didn’t want to seem desperate or clingy. She would just...give it a day and then casually wander into Hogsmead. At least as casually as one could when they had to sneak out of the castle to get there.

Waverly was sure she must be going crazy if she was willing to get in trouble and go against her Head Girl duties to sneak out of Hogwarts to meet a girl she barely knew. There was something about Nicole that made it seem worth it. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She just knew in her heart somewhere that Nicole was important. Even if she didn’t know why. 

Back in the common room, Waverly stared at the book she was reading on the Wizarding War though she wasn’t really reading it. The heat from the fireplace warmed her from where she was curled up on a large plush chair. It was her go to reading spot. Chrissy had gone back down to the kitchens to get some snacks, but Waverly had half a feeling she was going to meet that Hufflepuff boy she’d been talking to lately. 

Waverly tried to concentrate, but her mind kept wandering to the redhead. She wondered if she was sitting by her own fire in that little room above the Three Broomsticks. The large wooden door that was the entrance to the common room swung open and Waverly turned her head to see if it was Chrissy with her haul. Sure enough, the other girl stood there, arms stuffed with various treats.

“Waves,” Chrissy said, a mischievous glint in her eye, “Look who I found outside.”

She stepped aside to reveal Nicole, half smile on her lips and hands shoved deep in her pants pockets. Waverly felt her heart flutter at the sight, the book dropping in her lap. It must be some sort of illusion, right? Some cruel prank Chrissy was playing on her.

The door swung shut behind them and Chrissy dumped all the snacks on the coffee table across from her as Waverly and Nicole continued to stare at each other. 

“She didn’t even need help with the riddle, she figured it out all on her own,” Chrissy continued.

Nicole shrugged, “It wasn’t that hard.”

The sound of Nicole’s voice brought Waverly out of her daze and she stood up quickly. Her book thumped as it fell to the floor and she smiled back at the redhead.

“It took me a second to get it,” Chrissy said as she stood next to Waverly. She pushed the brunette a little bit and Waverly stumbled forward. Waverly giggled nervously as she took a few steps closer to the redhead. 

“W-what was the riddle?” Waverly asked, trying to make her tongue form a useful sentence.

Nicole bit her lip in thought for a moment before reciting, “Men can carry me to their grave, though I never truly die. I live in happiness, through people who know me. Some never find me, others get children from me, yet most men look for me, instead they find someone else. What am I?”

Waverly tipped her head in thought for a moment. The cogs in her mind turned and it distracted her from the fact that Nicole was here in her common room. She thought, running Nicole’s words through her mind for a moment.

“Love,” Waverly said softly, cheeks tinting as Nicole nodded.

“Yep,” Nicole said. The two continued to look at each other, Chrissy looking between the two of them with fascination. She watched as Nicole’s eyes wandered down her body and Waverly became acutely aware of what she was wearing. Waverly cleared her throat and looked down, noticing her wardrobe for the first time. She had slipped into her comfy flannel pajamas, tank top and fluffy slippers before she had settled into the common room chair. Not exactly what Waverly would have chosen for her next meeting with Nicole.

Her ears tinted pink and she crossed her arms in front of her chest self consciously.

“Sorry I came...unannounced,” Nicole said rocking on her heels a little, “I can...go.”

“No!” Waverly said suddenly, taking another step closer, “I’m glad you’re here. I just-...I’ll be right back.”

Waverly darted up the stairs towards her room to put something a little more presentable on. Her mind went a million miles a minute. What was Nicole doing here? She snuck into the castle just to see her? Where was she going to take Nicole? She had to take her somewhere...other than the common room. In the common room it was sure that someone would interrupt them. Particularly Chrissy who seemed to be their biggest fan at the moment. 

She slipped on some jeans and a sweater, taking off her slippers and putting boots. She remembered the bottle of fire whiskey Wynonna had sent her and slipped it into her pocket before rushing back down the stairs. Nicole was sitting on arm of the chair Waverly had been sitting in and Chrissy was standing there talking to her. Waverly suddenly regretted leaving the older woman with her best friend.

Nicole looked up as Waverly came down the stairs, a slow smile filling her face as she did. Waverly praised everything under the stars that she didn’t trip down at stairs as soon as brown eyes met hers.

“Now that I’m more presentable,” Waverly said tucking some hair behind her ear, “Want to get out of here?”

“Don’t you have a curfew?” Nicole teased.

“I have my ways,” Waverly said with a raise of her eyebrows. By ways she meant being the Head Girl definitely had it’s perks. Including knowing who was on duty and how to avoid them. “Now,” she said plucking a blanket and some of the snacks Chrissy had brought with her off the table, “Shall we?”

***

The walk up the the Astrology Tower was fairly quick and silent. Mostly out of necessity, though Waverly was thankful for the silence. It gave her time to prep herself. Just last night she and Nicole had almost kissed in the dusty corridor under Hogwarts. Now she had showed up in her dorm, completely unannounced. It was safe to say that Nicole wasn’t going to be avoiding her after the almost kiss. That was a relief in itself. 

When they got to the top of the tower, Waverly unlocked the door to reveal the small room with high windows. It was the ‘go to’ makeout spot in Hogwarts, but Nicole didn’t need to know that. Waverly had only been up here once before with these circumstances. Last year Champ Hardy had brought her up here and shoved his tongue down her throat in the least graceful way possible. That was when Waverly decided that he was not the boy for her.

“Here we are,” Waverly said as they walked into the room. She watched Nicole gawk at the large metal globes in the middle of the room, magical instruments drawing attention away from the large open windows all around.

“Wow,” Nicole said looking around as Waverly laid the blanket out towards the middle where they could still see outside but not be up against the open windows. Being that close to the edge always gave Waverly a bit of vertigo.

“Ilvermorny not have a tower like this?” Waverly teased as she sat on cross legged on the blanket. She patted the spot next to her for Nicole to sit. The redhead plopped herself down next to her, knees pulled up as she leaned back on her hands.

“Not quite,” Nicole admitted, “But our security was much tighter.”

Waverly chuckled and took inventory of the snacks she had brought. “I should have never told you about that tunnel,” she said with a wink. 

They were both facing one of the open windows, just enough space between them that the snacks could lay there. Two cauldron cakes, a pumpkin pastie and some Bertie Botts. Not a bad haul. Waverly offered Nicole one of the cauldron cakes and the other girl took it gratefully.

“If you never had showed me that tunnel, I would have had to wait for you to decide to come see me,” Nicole said taking a bite of the cake.

Waverly paused midway through unwrapping her own, heart beating so loudly she was sure Nicole could hear it over the soft sounds of the forest and lake floating up from outside.

“You came to see me?” Waverly asked softly.

“Of course,” Nicole said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “Why else would I be here?”

Waverly shrugged, “Official Auror business?”

Nicole smiled and shook her head, reaching up to push some of Waverly’s hair behind her ear. Waverly felt her skin burn at the touch and she wished they were closer. She wanted to feel Nicole hold her again and feel the way her breath played over her lips. She shivered at the thought.

“Are you cold?” Nicole asked, brow furrowed in concern. She immediately shrugged off her long coat and draped it over Waverly’s shoulder’s. The brunette would have protested, but Nicole’s scent overtook her. Sandalwood and something musky that was so...Nicole. The weight settled over her shoulders comfortably and Waverly sighed.

“Thank you,” Waverly said with a shy smile, “I’m...glad you came to see me. Chrissy has been trying to get me to go see you all day but-...I didn’t think you’d want to see me.”

Nicole looked at her like she was insane. A slow smile crawled onto pale pink lips, dimples on full display. “Why wouldn’t I want to see you?”

Waverly got lost in her smile for a second before looking at her hands that were still messing with the wrapper of the cake. “I don’t know I-...after in the tunnels when...we almost...you know,” Waverly shrugged.

“Kissed?” Nicole said flatly.

The brunette blushed even deeper than she thought possible and looked over at Nicole. The Auror just looked at her with the same smile, eyes never leaving Waverly’s.

“Yeah,” Waverly said taking a corner off of the cauldron cake and popping it in her mouth. She just needed something to keep her hands busy. “I mean, it’s not far off to think that, right? You ran away.”

It was Nicole’s turn to blush that time. “I just...I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea.”

“Why?” Waverly asked inching just a tiny bit closer to Nicole.

Nicole chuckled, “I um...you’re a student and I’m a government employee.”

“How old are you?” Waverly asked with a frown.

“Nineteen,” Nicole said.

“And I’m seventeen. It’s perfectly fine,” Waverly said. She knew even if Nicole had said she was ten years older than her she would have tried to convince her it was okay. The moonlight from outside reflected in her red hair so wonderfully that Waverly thought she was going to go blind from the brilliance of it.

Nicole licked her lips, “It’s more than that.”

“Than what else?” Waverly said setting her cauldron cake aside and turning to completely face Nicole who was still turned towards the window.

Nicole squinted and looked over at the younger girl, “I just...there’s something about you, Waverly.”

“Something good?” Waverly asked softly, suddenly feeling self conscious.

“Definitely something good,” Nicole said ducking her head to make sure Waverly was looking into her eyes, “Definitely.”

Waverly smiled and scooted closer until her knees bumped against Nicole’s side. “Really?”

Nicole turned so that she was facing Waverly. One leg was tucked in front of her and the other was kicked over to the side. “Really, Waverly.”

A goofy smile crawled over Waverly’s features and she reached for Nicole’s hand that was resting on her knee. Her hand covered Nicole’s, the redhead’s thumb reaching up to brush against the side of Waverly’s hand. Her heart pounded ten times faster at the slight touch as she looked into brown eyes. 

Waverly licked her lips and asked softly, “Can I...kiss you now?”

Nicole smiled brightly, but didn’t answer. Instead she leaned forward and closed the gap between them. Their lips pressed together lightly and every hair on Waverly’s body stood on edge. Her hand tightened on Nicole’s hand as their lips slowly began to move together.

It felt like a stunning spell had hit her in the chest, her heart suddenly too big for the confines of her ribs. Nicole’s lips were so soft and she tasted like the cauldron cake she’d just been eating. Waverly tangled a hand in red locks at the back of Nicole’s head, pulling her as close as she could from the awkward angle they were in. She felt Nicole’s hands settle on her hips and Waverly sat up on her knees without their lips disconnecting. Nicole sighed against Waverly’s lips as she climbed onto her lap, one knee on either side of Nicole’s hips.

If Waverly had been thinking properly she might have stopped herself from crawling onto the other woman’s lap. But with Nicole here kissing her, all she could think about was getting as close as possible to her. Thankfully Nicole didn’t seem to mind. Her arms wrapped fully around Waverly’s waist as she settled on her lap.

Nicole deepened the kiss, tongue brushing along Waverly’s bottom lip. Waverly sighed at the feeling, curling her tongue with Nicole’s as she cupped her jaw. The brunette felt the hot thrumming of arousal begin in her belly as their bodies pressed together.

Nicole pulled away from the kiss and Waverly whimpered at the loss, eyes fluttering open. She felt a prickle of doubt begin in the back of her mind and she wondered if Nicole was going to regret kissing her. She searched her brown eyes, looking for a hint of regret but only saw affection shining back at her.

“Waverly,” Nicole whispered, “This may sound crazy but...I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since that first day in Hogsmead.”

Waverly smiled slowly, eyes darting over Nicole’s features as all her fear died. “Really?”

Nicole nodded. “Do you-...does that scare you?”

Waverly shook her head, pressing their foreheads together, “Not in the least bit.”

The redhead smiled brilliantly and leaned forward to connect their lips again as the moonlight shone through the high windows of the tower.

***

Waverly woke up with a sense of peace over her. She was surrounded by the warm scent of sandalwood and she snuggled further into the jacket around her shoulders. If she squeezed her eyes shut hard enough, she could imagine Nicole’s arms wrapped around her instead of her jacket. She felt the mattress dip besides her and blinked open her eyes to see Chrissy looking at her expectantly. 

“So,” her friend said softly, drawing the curtain around her bed away from the prying eyes of the other girls in their shared dorm, “You got in late last night.”

Waverly couldn’t help the girlish giggle that escaped her lips as she ghosted her fingers over her lips at the memory of kissing Nicole. 

“It was magical, Chrissy,” she said with a smile.

Chrissy squealed and threw herself on the bed besides her friend, heads sharing the pillow and Waverly scooting over a little to give her friend more room. “Tell me everything.”

“Well, we went up to the Astronomy Tower,” Waverly began.

“Oo, very romantic,” Chrissy said wiggling her eyebrows, “What else?”

“Well she said I was _something_ ,” Waverly said, “And she said she hadn’t been able to stop thinking of me since she first saw me.”

Chrissy squealed even louder and Waverly shushed her with a smile. “And then?” Chrissy whispered excitedly. Waverly snuggled deeper into the jacket when something cold touched her cheek. She pulled the collar of the jacket back and noticed a gold Gordian knot pin on it for the first time. She ran her fingers over the cool metal for a moment before turning back to Chrissy.

“Then,” Waverly said adding a dramatic pause, “She kissed me.” 

Chrissy grasped Waverly’s shoulders and shook her in excitement. “That’s the best news! So are you dating now? Are you girlfriends?” Chrissy gasped, “You have a sexy older Auror girlfriend.”

Waverly blushed and pulled the jacket tighter around her. “We’re not-...girlfriends. I don’t think. We didn’t talk about it.”

“Waverly,” Chrissy said seriously, “She snuck into Hogwarts just to see you. She definitely wants to be your girlfriend.”

“We’ll see,” Waverly said looking up at the canopy of her bed. She had enchanted it with the same, but much smaller, enchantment that was on the Great Hall ceiling so that she could see the outside sky from her bed. The morning sun was just shining through the clouds, the light dusting of snow beginning to fall from the sky.

Chrissy grabbed the jacket that Waverly was cuddled in, eyes wide. “Is this her jacket?” she asked breathlessly. Waverly just nodded, a wide grin on her face. Chrissy sighed, “She’s so cute and sweet. You better lock her down.”

Waverly sighed and looked wistfully up at the sky over her head, lips still tingling from the night before.

***

_Dear Auror Haught,_

_Thank you for a wonderful time last night. I never knew the stars could shine so brightly. It was a lovely night and I wouldn’t imagine spending it with anyone else. I can’t wait to see you again._

_Signed,  
Waverly_

***  
_Dearest Waverly,_

_First of all, you don’t have to call me Auror Haught. Second, I should be the one thanking you for last night. It was a wonderful view. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. I can’t wait to see you in Hogsmead next week. That is, assuming either of us can wait that long. I may just find myself in Honeydukes a little more lately._

_Sincerely,  
Nicole _

***

Waverly spent far longer getting ready then she would admit to. Luckily, Chrissy sat on her bed while she went through her trunk and helped her pick out an outfit to go to Hogsmead. It was going to be the first time since the Astronomy Tower that she saw Nicole and she wanted to look...mature.

In the days she’d been left to think by herself, not distracted by Nicole’s face, she’d become self conscious about her age. She was, after all, literally a school girl. Nicole just seemed so mature and adult. She was on her own in a strange country and training for an amazingly impressive job. And here was Waverly, finishing up her N.E.W.T.S. classes and wondering what she was going to do after Hogwarts. She had her options. 

Wynonna expected her to become an Auror like herself, take up the family trade. But Waverly wasn’t entirely sure that path was for her. Especially with...the history her family had as Aurors. Waverly pushed the thought from her head and modeled her outfit for Chrissy.

“What do you think?” she asked with a shrug.

Chrissy’s eyes roamed over her with an impressed nod. “If she doesn’t lose her mind, she must be blind,” the blonde said with a smirk, “And you’re really hiding under those school uniforms.”

Waverly blushed and looked down at the low cut shirt that showed off just enough cleavage to be presentable, skirt tight and hugging her curves. She dug Nicole’s coat out from below the pile of clothes she had discarded and slipped it on. She had made a habit of wearing it despite the fact that the sleeves were too long and hem hung far too low on her legs. It was definitely going to be sad to give it back to Nicole, but she knew she couldn’t get away with keeping it any longer. She put her own cloak over the coat and her and Chrissy began towards Hogsmead with the other students.

“Okay, so here’s the plan,” Chrissy said pulling Waverly close as they walked into the village, “I’ll walk with you into The Three Broomsticks but then I’m going to have a sudden need for quills. Then I’ll leave you to seduce her.”

Waverly blushed and pinched Chrissy’s arm, “I’m not trying to seduce her.”

“That outfit says otherwise,” Chrissy teased. Waverly gave her a look and Chrissy just squeezed her arm in reassurance. “Just be your wonderful self. You already know she likes you.”

The brunette thought back to their brief letter exchanges and bit the inside of her cheek to keep down a smile. Even Nicole’s messy scrawl on parchment was enough to make Waverly’s heart flutter helplessly in her chest.

The sign of The Three Broomsticks came into view and through the frost covered window, Waverly could see a fiery head of red hair sitting at the bar. She sighed wistfully and Chrissy dropped her arm. The blonde turned to Waverly and did a once over check before giving her a thumbs up and leading her inside. Waverly’s eyes were on Nicole as soon as she entered the room. It was as if no one else existed. And as soon as Nicole turned to lock eyes with her, Waverly knew she was a goner.

“Oh no,” Waverly sighed, stopping in her tracks.

Chrissy spun around quickly, held Waverly by the shoulders and gave her another once over. “What’s wrong?”

Waverly broke eye contact with the redhead and looked up at her friend. “I really like her.”

Chrissy blinked down at her friend. “What?”

“I really really like her,” Waverly breathed out, vaguely panicked.

“So?” Chrissy asked with a raised eyebrow, “I thought that was the point.”

“No, it is but-...what if she doesn’t want to kiss me anymore?” Waverly asked, a sudden panic in her chest as her mind went a thousand miles a minute, “I really really like her and if she doesn’t like me anymore-”

Waverly swallowed thickly and Chrissy just smiled at the other girl. “Waverly, you’re doing that thing where you overthink things again.”

“Am I?” Waverly asked.

“Yes,” Chrissy said with a firm nod, “She likes you. She wouldn’t be meeting you here if she didn’t. Now just stop being dumb and let’s go talk to her. Okay?”

Waverly took a deep breath and nodded. She looked back over Chrissy’s shoulder and saw Nicole still looking at her, concerned look on her face. Waverly just smiled at her and she watched as the concern melted off her face. She continued the walk to Nicole, smiling shyly at her as she got close.

“Hi,” Waverly said sitting on the stool next to Nicole, her legs swinging under her.

“Hey,” Nicole said, dimples apparent on her face.

“Hi, Nicole,” Chrissy said from behind Waverly. 

Nicole chuckled and nodded towards Chrissy. “Chrissy. How are you?”

“Great!” Chrissy said looking between the two of them in a completely obvious way, “I need some quills, however, so I’m off. Have fun you two!”

The blonde was gone in an instant and Nicole looked at Waverly with a raised eyebrow.

“She’s subtle,” Nicole said motioning to the bartender for two more butterbeers.

Waverly laughed, “Yes, well, Chrissy has never been known for her subtlety.”

Nicole stared at Waverly for a moment and she squirmed under her gaze. “Trying to figure out if I have a hairy heart?”

“Hairy heart?” Nicole asked looking vaguely disgusted, “What’s that mean?”

“You know, like ‘The Warlock’s Hairy Heart’?” Waverly asked, confusion laced in her voice. Nicole shook her head, looking equally as confused. “Beedle the Bard? I can’t imagine anyone wouldn’t know that one.”

“I...don’t know that one,” Nicole admitted, “I’m the only witch in my family. We had different fairy tales.”

Waverly looked at her in fascination, “Wow.”

The bartender placed two drinks in front of them and Waverly took hers gratefully. Nicole’s eyes took in her own coat under Waverly’s cloak and smiled. 

“My jacket looks good on you.”

“Thank you,” Waverly said straightening a little in her seat at the compliment. She tapped the Gordian knot on the left lapel of the jacket. “What’s this for?”

Nicole smiled, “It’s the pin from my school uniform. Every student at Ilvermorny had one to pin their cloaks together. I grew rather fond of mine.”

“I can see that,” Waverly said running her fingers over the cool metal once more. She took a sip of her butterbeer, swiping at her top lip with her tongue where she knew some foam was bound to hide out. She looked back at Nicole who was staring at her lips.

“How bad would it be if I kissed you right now?” Nicole asked softly.

“You still want to kiss me?” Waverly said, doubt prickling in the back of her mind still.

“More than anything,” Nicole said as her eyes finally met back with hazel.

Waverly smiled and shook her head slowly. “I don’t think it would be that bad. Do you?”

Nicole’s eyes darted around the bar and Waverly looked over her shoulder. It was mostly other students, all wrapped up in their own little groups. No one seemed to be paying them much mind. Waverly looked back over at Nicole who was looking at her with a soft look she couldn’t quite describe. Nicole pushed hair behind Waverly’s ear, cupping her jaw gently before she leaned over and kissed her. 

The kiss was brief, but Waverly felt her heart burst with happiness just the same. 

Nicole’s hand lingered on her jaw for a moment before dropping back to her own lap. Waverly missed the contact immediately and reached for her hand. 

“Why don’t we go find a spot near the fire?” Waverly suggested, already slipping off her stool. One hand held her butterbeer while the other grasped Nicole’s hand. She led her to a booth in the corner that had low lighting and was fairly out of the way of anyone’s eyeline. Waverly kept Nicole’s hand in her own over the table, lacing their fingers together as they took a moment just to look at each other.

“I missed you,” Nicole admitted quietly.

Waverly felt her entire body warm at the sentiment and any lasting feelings of doubt ebbed away. 

“I missed you too,” she said. 

She squeezed Nicole’s hand and wished there wasn’t a table between them. There was an odd ringing sound and Nicole reached into the pocket of her pants with her free hand and brought out an oddly shaped thing that was lighting up. Waverly frowned at it and leaned forward. It was small and rectangular, vaguely flat and the entire front lit up and had moving elements on it. She watched as Nicole swiped her thumb across the front and the picture changed.

“What’s that?” Waverly asked.

Nicole was tapping on a tiny keyboard but paused to look up at Waverly. She smiled at her in amusement. “You’ve never seen a phone before?”

Waverly blushed and shook her head. Nicole tipped her head in a gesture of Waverly to sit next to her and the brunette quickly obliged. She leaned into Nicole’s side as she held the phone up in front of them. Waverly watched as a little bubble with text in it appeared on the surface.

“This is a phone,” Nicole said pushing a little button at the bottom. The message looked like it got sucked away and on the front was a picture with a bunch of little boxes with other little pictures in it. “You can do a lot with it. But mostly I use it to talk to my sister.”

“Why don’t you just send her an owl?” Waverly asked poking a little button with a compass on it. A blank screen came up and Waverly blinked at it.

“Well, my sister is a No-Maj, my whole family is, so she doesn’t take too well with owls,” Nicole said with a shrug, “It’s just easier to use this. And faster. Honestly, the whole owl system is very romantic, but very outdated.”

“It’s a reliable system,” Waverly said with a shrug, “How long does it take for you two to communicate using this?”

Nicole did some quick actions and the message screen appeared again. She finished typing on the tiny keyboard and hit a button, a little swoosh sound coming from the phone. “Instantly. She can read that message now.”

“Cool,” Waverly breathed out. Another bubble appeared in a different color and Waverly gasped. “Did she just respond?”

“Yep,” Nicole smiled, “See? That easy.”

“Wow,” Waverly said leaning further into Nicole’s side unconsciously as she looked at the phone, “What else does it do?”

Nicole handed it to Waverly, “Here, play with it.”

Waverly looked up at Nicole with wide eyes, “Are you sure?”

Nicole nodded and Waverly took the small device reverently, holding it carefully with two hands. She poked on a couple of buttons and watched as other little pictures appeared in the small window. 

“You can look things up on the internet, find places if you’re lost, take pictures. You can pretty much do anything with it,” Nicole said as she watched Waverly mess with the phone.

“Take pictures?” Waverly asked looking up at Nicole, “Really?”

Nicole leaned forward and kissed Waverly’s forehead unexpectedly. “Sorry, you’re just...adorable,” Nicole muttered. Waverly felt a blush light up her face at the kiss, skin tingling from where Nicole’s lips had been. Long fingers plucked the phone from her grasp and tapped on the screen. Waverly watched in fascination as it turned into...almost like a little window. You could see what was happening on the other side of the phone. Waverly wriggled her fingers at the back of the phone and watched them do the same thing on the screen. Nicole hit a little button and suddenly Waverly just saw her own face.

“Oh,” Waverly said pushing some hair behind her ear. Nicole held the phone horizontally and held it at arm’s length so they both appeared in the little screen.

“Ready?” Nicole asked with a smile.

“What do I do?” Waverly asked fussing with her hair again.

Nicole leaned into Waverly and looked at her seriously. “Just be your beautiful self.”

Waverly’s entire body flushed, corners of her eyes crinkling as she smiled widely. Nicole turned back to the phone with her own smile and snapped a quick picture. She lowered the phone and tapped a few things, the picture coming up on the screen. Waverly tapped the screen a couple of times.

“Why doesn’t it move?” she asked.

“No-Maj pictures don’t move,” Nicole said with a shrug, “This is a great picture by the way.”

Nicole looked at it a moment longer and slipped the phone back in her pocket.

“We’re cute,” Waverly said lacing their fingers together and resting their joined hands on her knee. She was greeted with a blush that crawled up Nicole’s neck and disappeared into her short hair. Waverly rested her chin on Nicole’s shoulder and when the redhead turned to look at her, their faces were only inches away. The breath caught in her throat as she followed the slope of her nose to her lips. She leaned forward to kiss her just as a voice interrupted them.

“Waverly,” the voice was familiar and already grating. 

She rolled her eyes and turned to see Champ standing besides their table, eyes narrowed. 

“What do you want, Champ?” Waverly sighed with disinterest.

Champ looked over at Nicole before looking back at her. “Why are you hanging out with her? I thought we were supposed to be hanging out.”

Waverly rolled her eyes. “You kinda blew that when you were a horrible date,” Waverly said with a stiff smile, “Now if you’ll excuse us-”

“You’re lucky I even wanted to talk to an Earp, you know,” Champ huffed. He said the name with such contempt that Waverly flinched. Nicole’s grip tightened on her hand in response and she felt the woman stiffen besides her as Champ continued. “Good riddance anyways. You’re going to be dead in a few years just like the rest of your family.”

“Mr. Hardy, is it?” Nicole said evenly, her voice cold. 

Champ looked at her with narrowed eyes, “Yeah. So?”

“I would strongly advise you to leave now without another word that can be perceived as a threat to your peer,” Nicole said with a raise of her eyebrow, “I am an Auror afterall. Hate to have to arrest you.”

Champ glared at her even as his tinted cheeks gave him away. He scoffed and turned, mumbling something just out of earshot as he walked away. Nicole remained glaring at him from behind and Waverly licked her lips nervously.

She was used to people talking about her family like that. It’s something that had followed her around for-...well forever basically. She knew it was most of the reason that Wynonna would always get in fights at school. Her sister was never one for letting a slight against the Earp name slide.

“Hey,” Nicole said gently nudging Waverly with her elbow. She didn’t realize she had been staring blankly across from them, so she shook herself out of it and looked up at Nicole’s face. Her brow was furrowed in worry yet somehow she was still beautiful. “You okay?”

Waverly nodded with a small smile. “I guess I’ll just...never be used to hearing things about my family,” she shrugged sadly, “I mean, who would. Right?”

It dawned on Waverly that she’d never told Nicole her last name. It was always something she avoided when introducing herself for just this reason. People didn’t like being associated with Earps. Waverly assumed Nicole was no different and wondered if this was the beginning of the end. If Nicole would start to pull away like others had at the mention of her last name.

“You can um-...I wouldn’t be offended if you didn’t want to be around me anymore,” Waverly said softly, “Now that you know.”

Nicole shook her head. “I-...admittedly I...don’t know anything about your family,” Nicole said softly. The hand that wasn’t clasped in Waverly’s came up to brush some small hairs from her temples, looking down at her sweetly, “And even if I did, it would take a lot more than a name to keep me away from you, Waverly Earp.”

Waverly’s eyes lifted up to look into brown pools and her heart skipped a beat. “Really?”

“Most definitely,” Nicole said tipping her head like an inquisitive puppy, “If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that you’re more than your family name.”

Waverly kissed her then like she never kissed anyone before. And like she could never imagine kissing anyone ever again.

***

“I must admit, this jacket looks much better on you,” Waverly said tugging on the collar of Nicole’s jacket and pulling her close. Her back bumped against the cold stone that made up the back of Dervish and Banges. She pulled Nicole so close that if anyone glanced at them, they probably wouldn’t notice Waverly with her back pressed against the wall. Not that Waverly expected anyone to walk by. She chose the narrow alley behind the shops to walk with Nicole for a reason.

“I don’t know. You were pretty damn cute in it,” Nicole said slipping her hands into Waverly’s cloak and squeezing her hips.

Waverly just hummed and draped her arms around Nicole’s neck as she drew her in for a languid kiss. Their lips slid together lazily, tongues stroking softly. Nicole’s hips bumped into her own and any hint of winter disappeared when Waverly’s entire body heated. 

They had been meeting at Hogsmead every weekend now. During the week Nicole would try and sneak into Hogwarts, but she was understandably worried about getting caught. The days she did sneak in, there wasn’t much privacy in the Ravenclaw Tower. Instead Waverly would take her to her favorite parts of the castle. She showed her the library, the kitchens, the Room of Requirement and the empty classrooms on the third floor. And...maybe they made out in her favorite section of the library and the Room of Requirement and the empty classrooms on the third floor…

They had become good at improvising.

Things had never gone beyond heavy petting and...well, unless you count the last time they were in the Room of Requirement and Waverly took her shirt off. Nicole nearly had a heart attack, eyes practically bulging from her head and mouth opening and closing like a fish. Waverly found it the most adorable thing in the world.

“Mm, Waves,” Nicole said against her lips, “I have something for you.”

Waverly pulled away only because of the promise of gifts. Part of her hoped it was an offer to stay in her room above The Three Broomsticks for the night.

“You do?” Waverly asked, unable to resist pecking Nicole’s lips again. The redhead nodded and kissed the end of Waverly’s nose before reaching into her pocket. She held up a phone between them that looked almost exactly like Nicole’s except it had a pink case on it. “What’s this?”

“I got you a phone,” Nicole said with a lopsided smile that Waverly found stupidly charming, “So we can text instead of wearing those poor owls out going back and forth. And you can stop stealing mine all the time. I’m pretty sure I have more random pictures on my phone then anything.”

Waverly smiled widely and took the phone. The screen lit up and there was the picture of the two girls that they had taken when Waverly first discovered phones.

“You got me a phone!” Waverly asked excitedly, “Where?”

“I had my sister send it to me,” Nicole smiled, “I put all your favorite pictures on it and downloaded all your favorite games and enchanted it so you never have to charge it. Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Waverly said holding it to her chest and beaming up at the redhead.

“I’m glad, baby,” Nicole said. She realized the slip of the nickname and blushed.

“And I love that,” Waverly said cupping the back of Nicole’s neck and drawing their faces close again, “I like it when you call me that.”

“Baby?” Nicole asked sweetly as their lips brushed together.

Waverly nodded and resumed their kissing, phone still clutched closely to their chest.

***

_Waverly: Nicole._

_Waverly: Nicole._

_Waverly. Nicole._

_Nicole: Waverly._

_Waverly: Did you know that you could send tiny pictures over instant text messages too?_

_Nicole: You can just call it text. And yes, I did._

_Waverly: There’s unicorns on here!_

_Nicole: Yes there is, babe._

_Waverly: Call me that again._

_Nicole: Babe. My baby._

_Waverly: Let’s use that magic mirror application? I need to see your face._

_Nicole: Facetime. And yes._

_Waverly: And Nicole_

_Nicole: Yes, babe?_

_Waverly: Can you tell me one of your Muggle fairy tales?_

_Nicole: Only if you tell me one of yours._

_Waverly: Deal._

 

***

The Christmas feast was everything Waverly always expected. The Great Hall had twelve giant trees all along it, each decorated with lights. There was snow falling from the ceiling and little gold gnomes flew around the room with little Santa hats on. They would drop Christmas crackers every so often on an unsuspecting student. There was more food than anyone person could ever imagine. 

Though the teachers were the only ones with the mulled wine, Waverly had brought her fire whiskey and ended up pouring some in with their cider.

It was all wonderful and perfect and only missing one thing.

Waverly snapped a picture of the food and sent it off to Nicole. She was sure the other girl was tired of her by now with all the pictures she was sending her of the Hogwarts decorations.

_Nicole: Oh, is that your Christmas feast? It’s cute compared to Ilvermorny’s. ;)_

Waverly smiled at the message and shook her head. “Ass,” she muttered to herself as she typed back a reply.

She felt a pressure on her side and looked over to see Chrissy reading over her shoulder.

“Aren’t you glad you listened to me?” Chrissy said with a smile, “Now you have a super hot girlfriend who gives you Muggle technology.”

Waverly faltered at the title, but still smiled stupidly and nodded. It had been almost three months since they started hanging out but neither had used the word ‘girlfriend’ yet. Sure Waverly would call Nicole her girlfriend to herself and with Chrissy, but nothing was made “official.”

Now she was about to go home for three weeks without Nicole. What if she forgot about her? They weren’t ‘girlfriends’, so they weren’t exclusive. Technically. Oh Merlin, what if Nicole was hanging out with other girls?

“Chrissy,” Waverly said setting down her phone and turning towards her friend, “We haven’t-...used the word girlfriends yet.”

The blonde just blinked at her, “Well you are, aren’t you? You’re always sending owls and talking over that little box when you’re not together.”

“What if she doesn’t want to be my girlfriend?” Waverly asked as a fat gnome landed on the table with a thud. He held out two Christmas crackers to the girls who took them with a polite smile before he launched himself off the table with the help of whatever enchantment was making him fly.

“She wants to be your girlfriend,” Chrissy said with a serious nod, “But you should lock her down anyways.”

“You’re right,” Waverly said, nerves suddenly alight in her belly, “Maybe I should stay behind for a bit of the break too.”

“Oo, good idea,” Chrissy said opening the cracker. With a loud ‘pop’ a large, ugly purple hat popped out. Covered in goose feathers and a stuffed pheasant sitting on the top. Chrissy set it atop her head with a grin. “She definitely will want to be your girlfriend after she gets a taste of your hot bod.”

“Chrissy!” Waverly said scandalized, looking around to see if anyone else heard, “Shush you.”

Chrissy shrugged and Waverly fought down a smile. Christmas was shaping up to be a lot more interesting.

***

Waverly drew Nicole’s arm over her chest as they walked along the edge of the lake. She clutched her hand between both of her own, cheek pressed against Nicole’s shoulder.

“Thanks for hanging out with me,” Waverly said.

“My pleasure,” Nicole said pressing a kiss to the top of Waverly’s head, “I’m just glad you’re finally done with all your final essays before the break.”

Waverly let out a long exasperated sigh, “You have no idea.”

They walked in silence for a few moments, a cold breeze coming off the lake and chilling their faces. Waverly was sure the tip of her nose was redder than a newly sprouted mandrake. Enchanted candles had been put into the trees all around the grounds for Christmas. There wasn’t an inch of the castle that wasn’t decorated. She squeezed Nicole’s hand and bit her lip a little nervously.

“So um...I told Wynonna and Gus that I’m going to be at school for the first week of break,” Waverly said slowly.

“Did you now?” Nicole said with an amused smile.

“Yeah,” Waverly continued, “And it seems like all the other girls in my dorm and most of the Ravenclaws are going home for the whole time.”

“Huh,” the other girl said, obviously feigning disinterest.

Waverly nodded slowly, “Yes, so...I was thinking it might be nice to have a few days of uninterrupted alone time.”

Nicole shrugged, “I’ll have to check my calendar.”

The brunette’s heart stopped and she stepped in front of Nicole to face her. “Excuse me, Nicole Haught?”

The redhead smiled slyly and put her glove covered hands on either side of Waverly’s face. “You are far too easy to rile up,” she said lowly, pressing their foreheads together.

Waverly rolled her eyes and smacked Nicole’s arm playfully. “You’re an ass.”

Nicole chuckled and kissed her, both of their lips cold and just a little chapped from the weather. But it was perfect as always. Waverly’s heart fluttered wildly in her chest, stomach twisting and turning into a knot of arousal almost instantly. It didn’t take much for Nicole to get her riled up, that much was true. Just maybe not in the way the taller girl had intended.

A chill ran through the air and Waverly felt something cold and wet land on her lashes. She hummed and pulled away just enough to look up at the sky. Soft flakes of snow fell from the sky and landed on them. Waverly laughed and looked at Nicole. There were snowflakes in her eyelashes and dusting her red hair. Waverly felt a new wave of affection crash in her chest as Nicole looked at her like she had brought the snow herself just by existing.

“It’s snowing,” Waverly said matter of factly.

“Beautiful,” Nicole breathed, one hand brushing some snowflakes off of Waverly’s eyebrows. She could tell that Nicole probably wasn’t talking about the snow. Waverly bit her lip and rocked on the balls of her feet for a moment. The question that had been nagging her at the back of her mind was begging to roll off her tongue.

“I asked the compass application a question the other day,” Waverly began nervously.

“You...googled something, okay,” Nicole said as she translated what Waverly was trying to say, “And what was that?”

“I asked it how to tell if a girl wants to be your girlfriend,” Waverly said quickly.

Nicole’s smile faltered for a moment, “Waves-”

“There was a list and the point was if we had nicknames for each other, which we do-”

“Waverly-”

“Wait,” she said pressing a hand to the middle of Nicole’s chest, “Let me finish?”

Nicole clamped her lips between her teeth and nodded. Waverly smiled and pecked her lightly in thanks.

“The second, was if you make future plans. The third said that if you leave things at my place then that’s a good sign too. There were a bunch of other things like if you don’t mind meeting my friends and family, steal my stuff, ask me about my day and that kinda stuff,” Waverly took a deep nervous breath, both hands playing with Nicole’s collar, “I went over the list with Chrissy and-...everything was a yes. So...I guess I’m just asking if we-...if you wanted to be my girlfriend?”

Nicole smiled widely, dimples making Waverly feel weak. “Can I talk now?”

Waverly just nodded.

“I need to tell you something,” Nicole began softly, “It’s not bad I just...need to tell you.”

Waverly felt her heart drop along with her face but she nodded anyways.

“It’s not bad,” Nicole repeated, “but I just-...My program with the Ministry ends in July. And then I’ll be headed back to New York.”

Waverly frowned in confusion, shaking her head for a moment. Waverly knew Nicole had to be going back to America at some point, that wasn’t a surprise. And it wasn’t nearly half as bad as what Nicole could have said. Like if she had said she was married or something.

“Okay,” Waverly said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Nicole blinked at her for a moment. “And that’s-...you’re okay with that?”

“Of course,” Waverly smiled, “We have seven months until then. That’s all the time in the world and we’ll-...cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Well then. Waverly Earp,” Nicole said softly hands palming at the shorter girl’s hips, “I would be honored to call you my girlfriend.”

The brunette squealed in delight and bounced in place, heart basically exploding from happiness. It’s not that she expected anything else, but there were still some doubts in her mind about it.

Waverly kissed Nicole hard. Her arms enveloped Waverly’s waist completely as she held her close.

“Now,” Waverly said between kisses, “I can change your title in my phone to ‘girlfriend’.”

Nicole tipped her head back and laughed. It was a loud, obnoxious laugh that Waverly would have found completely horrifying on anyone else. But this was her girlfriend and she was the stars.

***

Waverly really should have been embarrassed. She really should have been. 

If she could see herself now, uniform shirt unbuttoned and hanging loosely from her shoulders, leg locked high around Nicole’s waist and almost obscene noises leaving her throat as Nicole nibbled at her pulse point. It felt like her hands were everywhere. On her hips, on her ass, on her breasts. Waverly’s hands were tangled in red hair to keep her in place. Nicole pressed her hips forward and Waverly received friction right where she needed it. The back of her head hit the wall of the One Eyed Witch passage and she gasped.

Every inch of her body begged for Nicole. Even though their entire bodies were pressed together she still needed more. She needed Nicole to be completely around her, over her, in her. Waverly felt Nicole’s hand slip up her skirt, gripping her thigh as she pressed her hips more into the brunette.

Waverly mewled before blurting out, “I’m a virgin!”

Nicole froze and Waverly felt a flood of embarrassment go through her. That was-...she had no idea what possessed her to say-... _that_.

The redhead pulled her head back so she could get a better look at Waverly, her brow furrowed despite the amused smile tilting at the corner of her lips.

Waverly blushed even deeper. “I mean-...just...so you know.”

Nicole nodded slowly, “I-...I’m sorry was this...too much?”

She began to move her hand from Waverly’s skirt but the brunette tightened her leg around Nicole’s waist to keep her in place.

“No, it definitely wasn’t too much,” Waverly said with a shaky breath, “It’s...not enough. I just-...wanted you to know. In case that...changed anything.”

“Why would it change anything?” Nicole said, “I mean I-...kinda figured.”

If possible, Waverly blushed even deeper. “You...figured I was a virgin?”

Nicole bit her lip and shrugged, “More of a guess.”

“How embarrassing,” Waverly groaned as she looked away.

Nicole chuckled and pressed soft kisses along Waverly’s jaw. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” she said, “I want you to guide the pace we go, I was never going to sleep with you in a dusty underground tunnel. Not for the first time anyways.”

“Okay,” she sighed as Nicole’s kisses became open mouth kisses down her neck. Waverly felt herself relax under Nicole’s lips, some of the embarrassment draining away. But only some of it. Then Nicole ground her hips into her center again and Waverly couldn’t even think anymore.

***

“Chrissy, please stop staring,” Waverly sighed as she finished making her bed. Chrissy sat cross legged on her own, small bag packed for her trip on the Hogwarts Express back home. She shrugged, unable to hide the wide smile on her face.

“I can’t help it,” Chrissy said, “You’re finally going to… _do it_ with Nicole.”

Waverly blushed, “We don’t know that.”

“Come on, Waves,” Chrissy said throwing herself on Waverly’s freshly made bed and wrinkling the sheets, “You two alone together at Christmas. A big fireplace, the whole dorm to yourselves...it’s going to happen.”

“Maybe,” Waverly said firmly, eyebrows raised at her friend. There was a mix of hopefulness and nerves in her stomach that she couldn’t chase. She wanted Nicole. All of Nicole. _Merlin_ did she ever. But she was nervous. No one had seen her naked before and what if she pulled weird faces when...yeah. Maybe she should have practiced. Worse yet, what if she wasn’t any good at sex?

“Just do me one favor,” Chrissy said as she sat up.

“What’s that?”

Chrissy took a deep sigh, “I need you to tell me everything afterwards.”

“Everything?”

“We’ve known each other since we were five, Waves,” Chrissy reminded her, “There is no shame here. Everything.”

Waverly chuckled and laid on the bed next to Chrissy. “Fine. You’ll get a detailed account.”

Chrissy squealed in girlish delight and turned to hug Waverly from the side. “I can’t wait.”

***

Waverly had the whole evening plan laid out and so far it was going swimmingly. She had gotten them dinner from the kitchens and had it set up in the common room. Right in front of the fire. It was lovely and romantic and more than Waverly had hoped for.

They sat curled up in front of the fire for a bit watching a “movie” on Nicole’s phone. She had charmed the phone so it floated in front of them as they cuddled on the couch. Eventually the cuddles turned to making out and they decided to move up to Waverly’s room.

Waverly didn’t feel nervous until she pulled away from Nicole’s kisses and pulled her sweater over her head to discard it on the floor. She looked down at Nicole who was laying on the bed, Waverly’s knees on either side of her hips. Red hair was disheveled and fanned out on the pillow behind her. Her cheeks were flushed and pupils blown, lips swollen from their kissing. Brown eyes skirted over Waverly’s bare torso, hands smoothing over her ribs.

“You’re-...” Nicole trailed off. Instead she sat up and kissed Waverly, tongue slipping between her lips. The brunette sighed and began to tug at the hem of Nicole’s shirt impatiently. She immediately relented, pulling her hands away from Waverly’s body just long enough to begin to unbutton her shirt from the bottom. Waverly began from the top, their hands meeting halfway down the shirt. Nicole chuckled as Waverly pushed the shirt over her shoulders and threw it on the floor somewhere.

“Impatient,” Nicole teased as she ran her hands up Waverly’s back. She bit her lip as she looked at the girl under her, hands skirting over Nicole’s toned stomach. She watched in fascination as the muscles jumped under her touch, the fire of arousal roaring even higher in her belly.

Nicole sat up, hands smoothing over Waverly’s back and bumping against the strap of her bra. Waverly reached behind her back to undo her own bra and Nicole stopped her with a hand on her arm. A blush spread over Waverly’s chest in embarrassment. Maybe she was going to fast. Maybe she was completely misreading the situation.

“Wait,” Nicole said, throat flexing as she swallowed, “I-...can I?”

The knot in her stomach loosened a little and Waverly dropped her hands with a nod. The smile that lit up Nicole’s face was brilliant. Waverly could feel her hand shake ever so slightly, even behind her back as she smoothly undid her bra with one hand. Waverly let the straps slide down her arms and she shook it off her arm to fall to the floor. She had to force herself not to cross her arms in front of her chest in an attempt to cover herself.

Nicole’s eyes widened, mouth open ever so slightly. Brown eyes locked with hazel and Nicole smiled, sitting up so that their torsos were pressed together. The soft fabric of Nicole’s bra brushed against Waverly’s nipples and she sighed. Nicole pressed soft kisses across Waverly’s chest, the brunette leaning back a little to give her girlfriend better access. She raked her fingers through Nicole’s hair as her lips closed around the pert nipple, tongue rolling and teeth nibbling lightly.

Waverly was in heaven. Whatever Nicole was doing was absolute heaven. Her hips jumped a little when she felt a perfect row of teeth bite down on her nipple, her panties flooding even more. Nicole’s mouth moved to the other breast, giving it the same attention as her hands drifted to the zipper of her skirt. Long fingers pulled the zipper down and the skirt loosened around Waverly’s waist, pooling around her hips. Nicole kissed back up her chest and over Waverly’s throat before she flipped them.

The brunette landed on her back with a small squeal, giggles pouring from her lips as she kissed Nicole over and over. 

She tried to reason with herself that this was it. _It_. The moment she shared herself completely with another person. And she could never imagine that person being anyone other than Nicole. 

She could feel her panties sticking to her sex with arousal, brain hardly able to function as Nicole settled between her thighs. Waverly needed her. And she needed her as soon as possible. She didn’t want to just jump Nicole’s bones. She didn’t know the logistics but she knew the redhead had more experience than herself. Waverly was worried that she wouldn’t be any good at sex and Nicole would look down at her for it. Though she knew it was the last thing that the redhead would do, her nerves were still trying to convince her it was a possibility.

Waverly knew what she liked, she was no stranger to self pleasure. Especially lately. Their makeout sessions had gotten more intense over time and sometimes Waverly could barely think she was so turned on. So, of course, she would have to draw the curtains completely around her bed, cast a silencing charm and relieve herself.

She pushed her own skirt past her hips and kicked it off the bed, leaving herself in only her lace panties. The ones Chrissy had helped her pick out especially for the occasion. It had their intended effect, Nicole’s eyes darkening as she took the younger girl in.

“You,” Nicole said as she hovered over her, lips inches apart, “Are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

Waverly shook her head and cupped both of Nicole’s breasts over her bra, “You are.”

Nicole kissed her hungrily, all tongue and teeth as Waverly undid her bra. She chucked it off, their lips never disconnecting as she curled her tongue into the roof of Waverly’s mouth. The brunette groaned, her sex pounding even harder with arousal. She wrapped a leg around Nicole’s leg, pulling the taller girl down into her. Waverly tilted her hips up to meet Nicole’s. It was a vague attempt to make Nicole realize she needed her sooner rather than later.

Her hands hooked under Waverly’s thighs and adjusted them so that Nicole’s hip bone was pressed directly into Waverly’s center. She ground down on the brunette and stars exploded in front of her eyes. A liquid pleasure ran through her body and she just needed more.

“Nicole,” Waverly moaned, hands gripping any part of the redhead she could reach. Her hands settled on her biceps as she placed open mouthed kisses down her jaw. Teeth scraped against a particularly sensitive spot under her ear and Waverly couldn’t help the obscene moan that crawled out of her throat.

Waverly felt nimble fingers move down her sides and back up again, making goosebumps erupt over her skin. Never in her life did she think that anything could feel like this. Like she was being pulled apart in all directions in the most torturous and amazing way.

Nicole’s fingers stroked the inside of Waverly’s thighs and she melted like lava under her touch. Nicole’s lips traveled lower, over her breasts and ribs. She nipped at each rib as she passed, tongue dipping into Waverly’s belly button. Her back bowed at the feeling, imagining what it might feel like to have Nicole’s tongue even lower.

Nicole kissed down her belly and across the waistband of her underwear. Waverly felt like she should have been embarrassed by how eager and wet she was, but she couldn’t bring herself to be ashamed when all she could think of was feeling Nicole everywhere.

She hooked her fingers into the waistband of Waverly’s underwear and looked up at the brunette. Nicole rested her chin just below Waverly’s belly button, placing a kiss there before she asked, “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” Waverly said softly, running a hand through Nicole’s hair. The redhead nodded and leaned into her touch.

“Tell me if something’s not-...if you want me to stop,” Nicole whispered as her fingers brushed her hip bones. Waverly could tell that Nicole was just as nervous as she was, and that made some of her anxiety fade away.

“Baby,” Waverly breathed out, hips tilting up into Nicole again, “I _need_ you.”

That seemed to be enough for Nicole. A smug smirk tugged at the corners of her lips and she pulled at the waistband of Waverly’s panties with her teeth. It was so sexy to watch that Waverly was sure she blacked out for a moment. Her head fell back against the pillow. Nicole pulled her panties down her legs and Waverly helped kick them off until she was bare beneath the other girl.

The twinge of doubt came back just under her pure need. She was hyper aware of everything at the moment. The soft pillow beneath her head, the way her foot was sort of caught in the blankets they had kicked off long ago, the heavy curtain drawn around her bed even though no one else was in the dorm and the way the stars twinkled above them from her enchanted canopy. She felt Nicole’s mouth move down the tops of her thighs reverently. She went down one and then back to go down the second. Waverly sighed at the feeling, thighs quivering in anticipation. Her hands clawed at the sheets and the moment she felt Nicole lick the inside of her knee, Waverly’s legs practically fell open. The cold air of the room hit her overheated sex in a not entirely unpleasant way and she shivered. 

As Nicole slowly kissed up her inner thigh, Waverly felt the nerves start to bunch in her stomach again. She could feel Nicole’s eyes on her and wanted to look but was worried. She felt Nicole settle between her legs, still placing open mouthed kisses along the soft flesh of the thighs. Her body tensed a little as Nicole got closer to her center and her mind began racing a million miles a minute. 

What if Nicole didn’t like her? Obviously she liked her but what if she didn’t like… _her_? Her body. 

Nicole’s kisses stopped for a moment, her fingers lightly brushing up and down the inside of Waverly’s thigh instead.

“Baby,” Nicole said, her voice husky as she brushed her lips along Waverly’s thigh. The mix of Nicole’s voice and her breath tickling high along her thigh made Waverly’s skin burn. “Baby, look at me. Please?”

Waverly tore her eyes away from the canopy and lifted herself up on her elbows, smiling shyly at the girl between her legs. Nicole was looking up at her, lips swollen and pupils blown. Her hair was messy and sticking up at awkward angles but Waverly was sure she’d never seen anything more beautiful.

“Hey,” Waverly whispered.

“Hey,” Nicole said nipping at Waverly’s thigh, “Are you okay?”

The brown haired girl smiled and nodded, “I guess I’m just nervous.”

Nicole nodded, “You know we can stop-”

“No!” Waverly blurted. At least she had the decency to blush at her own eagerness. “I mean-...I want to. I do.”

Nicole chuckled and looped her arms under Waverly’s thighs, hands spread out over the tops of them. “Relax, Waves,” she said licking the apex of her thigh, “I got you.”

Waverly collapsed back against the pillow at the feeling, a new gush of arousal flooded her. She felt Nicole’s breath against her sex and fisted the sheets with one hand, the other gripping her pillow tightly. She was not even remotely prepared for when she felt the broad stroke of Nicole’s tongue across her folds or the moan that followed after that. Waverly whimpered, hands gripping at fabric desperately. All she could feel was Nicole’s tongue working some sort of magic between her thighs. She started at the bottom of Waverly’s sex and ever so slowly she dragged her tongue up, stopping just before her clit. Nicole would start again, tongue dipping into Waverly’s entrance and continuing again. It was torture, but the best torture that Waverly could ever think of. 

Waverly whimpered when Nicole’s tongue touched her clit ever so softly but was gone as fast as it came. She started back at the beginning of her path again and Waverly subconsciously pushed her hips up towards Nicole’s face, trying to get her where she needed her most. Nicole splayed a hand over Waverly’s hips to keep her in place and the brunette growled a little in frustration. She heard Nicole chuckle and was about to say something when she felt her clit being sucked into the redhead’s mouth.

She let out a long, languid moan, entire body tightening at the feeling. There were stars popping in front of her eyes when she squeezed them shut, the hand that was in the sheets tangling in red hair instead. Nicole moaned against her when she tugged on the silky strands and Waverly never wanted to listen to anything else. She felt Nicole’s tongue alternating between flicking sharply over her clit and flattening against it. Her mind was getting foggy from the sensation, the room suddenly boiling. She held onto Nicole’s hair even tighter, nails scratching at the back of her skull.

Nicole’s movements began to go faster, tongue swirling around her clit like it was an ice cream cone. The breath hitched in Waverly’s throat and she cried out in pleasure as she felt a string low in her belly tighten, ready to snap. Nicole flattened her tongue and licked a broad stripe up her slick sex before sucking her clit hard. Waverly’s entire back bowed into the air, goosebumps erupting over her skin as a warm pleasure spread over her entire body. She held Nicole’s head tight against her as she moaned, hips bucking up into the other girl’s face. Everything went blank for a moment, the world going silent except for the sound of Nicole’s moans coming from between her legs.

Suddenly the world came rushing back and Waverly took a deep breath, her hand loosening in Nicole’s hair as her body sank down into the bed. Nicole placed a couple of soft kisses to her still sensitive core. She felt Nicole’s tongue still lapping gently at her as her body shivered with the last aftershocks of her orgasm. There was one final kiss to her clit before Nicole started kissing back up Waverly’s body.

Waverly hummed in delight as Nicole crawled up her body. Nicole sucked on the underside of her breast for a moment and Waverly felt her body switch from sated to ready for another go in seconds. She cupped Nicole’s neck as she kissed the smaller girl again. Her tongue clipped lazily into Waverly’s mouth and she sucked on it. She could taste herself on the redhead’s tongue. 

Nicole moaned, hips tilting down into Waverly’s. The brunette released Nicole’s tongue and looked up at her with a sly smile. Nicole smiled back with a cocky grin. She propped herself up over Waverly with one elbow while the other hand stroked her hip bone, fingers teasing the crease of her thighs.

Waverly’s sex was pounding with arousal, her entire body extra sensitive to Nicole’s touch. She felt a wave of affection for the girl above her and hummed.

“Nicky,” she drawled, arms looping around Nicole’s neck, “You’re incredible.”

The smug grin on Nicole’s face only got wider as she ran her fingers through damp curls. Waverly’s eyes fluttered shut when she felt nimble fingers just barely skirt around her clit. 

Nicole nipped at Waverly’s jaw, licking a line up to her ear before she whispered hotly, “I’m not done with you yet, babydoll.”

Waverly groaned, tilting her head to the side to give Nicole better access to her neck. Her teeth sunk into the flesh and Waverly’s hips shot up into Nicole’s hand. Nicole soothed the flesh with her tongue as she let her hand slip further down. Two fingers circled Waverly’s entrance, gathering the abundance of arousal there. Waverly sighed and turned her head to kiss any part of Nicole she could reach with her mouth which was just her shoulder with the redhead’s lips still working over her neck.

Nicole gently circled around Waverly’s clit, careful not to touch the over sensitive bud. It was still enough to make Waverly sigh, pads of her fingers pressing into Nicole’s shoulder blades as her legs fell open even wider. Waverly dragged her lips over the top of Nicole’s shoulder, nuzzling her neck before turning her head. She nudged Nicole’s cheek with her nose and the redhead turned, their lips connecting with a sigh. Nicole’s fingers dipped to circle Waverly’s entrance, their tongues meeting and tangling together as they kissed slowly.

“Waves, are you ready?” Nicole asked between kisses. 

Waverly nodded slowly, her hips tilting up a little to prove a point. Nicole’s finger slipped into her to the first knuckle.

“I need you,” Waverly said, her entire body on edge. All nerves or doubts were gone now. They were replaced by need and lust but mostly...affection for the woman above her. She would call it affection for now because she was afraid to call it anything else. She didn’t want to think about the way her heart swelled every time Nicole looked at her. Not now. She reasoned that her emotions were running high and magnified at the moment anyways. For now she would just focus on Nicole above her.

Nicole pulled away from her lips just enough to look down at Waverly. Brown eyes locked with hazel and Nicole just nodded. 

“Okay.”

Waverly licked her lips, one hand cupping Nicole’s cheek as her finger slowly slipped into her. Waverly felt her body immediately clench around the digit. She tensed for a moment, gasping as she got used to the feeling.

“Are you okay?” Nicole whispered.

Waverly nodded, “Keep going.”

She willed her body to relax as Nicole began to move. Waverly watched Nicole’s eyes move over her face before pressing their foreheads together. She smiled softly up at the redhead, eyes fluttering shut when she hit a particularly sensitive spot. She gasped and clutched Nicole tighter, brow furrowing when she hit the spot again.

Nicole faltered to a stop, “Did I hur-?”

“No no, don’t stop,” Waverly said moving her hips in emphasis, “Keep doing that. K-keep-”

A moan spilled from her mouth as Nicole’s movements continued. Nicole’s thrusts got a little surer and Waverly gripped at her back with both hands. She felt the muscles moving under her hands and there was just something so erotic about it. 

Waverly’s soft sighs and moans echoed off the stone walls as she felt her pleasure climb. Nicole’s head fell into the crook of her neck as she pulled all the way out of Waverly and slipped a second finger into her. Waverly’s jaw fell open and her nails dug into Nicole’s back. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was wondering why she didn’t do this a long time ago. Though she figured if she had it wouldn’t have been with Nicole and that could never be as good as this. Waverly was convinced.

Nicole’s thumb began to circle her clit and Waverly was lost. Pleasure shot up her spine, eyes squeezing shut as she bit her lip to keep from screaming out. Nicole’s movements increased, her hips moving with her hand to push a little firmer into the brunette.

Waverly moaned loudly nails digging into Nicole’s back even more as she hooked a leg around Nicole’s waist. She could feel the coil in her stomach tightening, faster this time then before. Waverly could barely think, her mind too clouded by pleasure to even consider trying to dampen her moans.

“God, Nicole,” Waverly groaned as she tightened her leg around her waist, “Please.”

She wasn’t sure what she was begging for, but Nicole seemed to. The circle around her clit became tighter and Nicole curled her fingers with each thrust. Colors were popping in front of Waverly’s eyes and there would definitely be little halfmoon marks on Nicole’s back after this. The coil in her stomach tightened and she could feel herself fluttering around Nicole’s fingers. 

Her chest tightened, every muscle in her body tensed, when Nicole curled her fingers just so. The coil snapped and Waverly let out a high pitched squeak followed by a silent scream. Nicole’s lips covered her own and as soon as it registered she was kissing her back. Her entire body rippled in pleasure, muscles tensing and relaxing as her orgasm faded. She remembered how to breath and she disconnected her lips from Nicole’s just to get her breath back. Nicole continued placing soft kisses all over Waverly’s face as her walls clenched and unclenched around her fingers. 

As her breathing returned to normal and her orgasm faded, Waverly smiled lazily. She giggled as Nicole continued dropping kisses over her face, her leg falling from her girlfriend’s waist. Nicole pulled back to look down at Waverly with a large smile, dimples so deep Waverly was sure she could fall in them.

“You’re so beautiful,” Nicole whispered. Waverly blushed and Nicole kissed her softly as she pulled out of her. Waverly sighed at the loss. She caressed Nicole’s back with her fingers, particularly the spots that she knew would have her marks on them.

“You’re amazing,” Waverly said with a shake of her head.

Nicole blushed at the compliment, ducking her head and placing a small kiss on the bruise forming on Waverly’s neck. Waverly regained her breath for a moment. She could feel the cotton of Nicole’s boyshorts against her leg and she frowned. Her hands smoothed down Nicole’s back and slipped into the back of her underwear, squeezing her ass teasingly. Nicole groaned and pressed her face further into Waverly’s neck.

“Why are these still on?” Waverly teased as she attempted to push the underwear down. Nicole helped her pull them down, shuffling them off her legs and off the end of the bed somewhere. When Nicole settled back over Waverly she felt her completely bare against her for the first time.

Waverly pressed against the small of Nicole’s back and leaned up to kiss her. Hands smoothing over to Nicole’s hips, Waverly flipped them over. The redhead let out a surprised huff and Waverly smiled down smugly at her.

“You’re stronger than you look,” Nicole teased. Waverly shrugged and sat up, straddling Nicole’s thigh to get a better look at the girl below her. She blushed just at the look of her girlfriend. She could hardly believe Nicole was hers.

Waverly started to feel nervous again and she bit her lip as she settled back over Nicole. She was...amazing. And that was putting it lightly. While Waverly was no stranger to...self pleasure. But she had never touched anyone else this way. The closest she had ever gotten was the brief fling she had with a Gryffindor boy in her sixth year. They ended up in a dark corner of the library practically dry humping which was fine at the time but quickly got boring. She was worried that she would do something wrong and Nicole would hate it.

She cursed herself for not doing more research before she got to this point.

Waverly kissed across Nicole’s chest and over her breast. She reached a pink nipple and flattened her tongue against the bud. Nicole sighed, one hand raking through Waverly’s hair. Waverly leaned into the touch briefly and bit lightly on her nipple. Nicole’s hips jerked and Waverly knew she was at least off to a good start. She bit down a little harder, eyes on Nicole’s face to watch for a reaction. Nicole’s throat flexed, eyes squeezed tight and Waverly gave the other breast the same attention. 

When Nicole was practically squirming under her, Waverly placed open mouthed kisses down the rest of her body. She bit at her hip bone lightly and ran her tongue over the hollow below it. Nicole groaned, eyes open to look at the other girl. Waverly smiled up at her as she placed small kisses across her groin and over red curls. She could smell Nicole’s arousal and had to hold back her own moan. She settled fully between Nicole’s thighs and looked back up at the redhead with wide eyes.

“Tell me if I’m...doing anything wrong,” Waverly said before dipping her head and tentatively licking up her sex. 

Nicole’s head fell back against the pillow. “You’re already off to a great start, darlin’,” she sighed. Waverly smiled at the compliment and dipped her head again. Waverly ran her tongue over Nicole in a zigzag pattern, letting her taste roll over her tongue. She was heady and sharp, a taste that was instantly addicting to Waverly. One arm looped under the back on Nicole’s thigh, fingers stroking at her hip and the other settled on the inside of Nicole’s thigh. 

Waverly began tracing a pattern over Nicole’s clit with the sharp end of her tongue and Nicole nodded.

“Y-yes, just-...that’s great, baby,” Nicole said gripping the back of Waverly’s head lightly.

The movement only spurred Waverly on her and her movements became more confident, tongue a little firmer. Nicole’s hips slowly began to move against Waverly’s face. Her eyes remained focused on Nicole as she tried to read what she needed. The hand that was on Nicole’s inner thigh moved and Waverly began to stroke her folds gently with her fingers. Nicole practically choked on air when her finger dipped past her entrance. 

Waverly pressed the pad of her finger over her entrance and Nicole’s hips jerked roughly. She took the hint and slowly sank her finger into Nicole, head getting light as she felt the heat envelope her. Nicole was so...soft and slick. Waverly was instantly addicted. She experimented moving her finger as her tongue continued to work. She curled her finger like she remembered Nicole doing and the moan that left her lips told Waverly she was definitely doing something right.

She kept watching Nicole. Watching the way her eyebrows furrowed and jaw came unhinged as her hips moved in response to Waverly’s movements. Waverly wished she could kiss across her brows, specifically in the middle of her eyes where they came together in a frown. But her space from between her legs, arousal on her tongue, was definitely just as good. Nicole’s hips began to move wildly and Waverly could tell she was close by the way her walls were clenching down on her finger.

Nicole was surprisingly silent, just a few soft moans and sighs filling the air as Waverly worked her tongue and hand faster. She could feel her wrist cramping, jaw aching but even a raging centaur couldn’t drag her away from Nicole now. The redhead gasped, body going rigid and her walls collapsing around Waverly’s finger as she came. A gush of arousal coated Waverly’s chin and wrist, making her moan against Nicole’s sex. The vibrations from Waverly’s moan made Nicole’s hips shudder, breathy sigh tumbling from swollen lips. One hand grasped at Waverly’s hair while the other twisted in the sheets. 

Nicole’s walls fluttered around her as Waverly slowed her tongue to a gentle lap. She pressed her tongue flat against Nicole’s clit, hips finally slowing. She collapsed against the bed and motioned lazily for Waverly to join her.

Waverly smiled proudly, pecking Nicole’s quivering sex one last time and pulling her hand away from Nicole. She wiped her fingers on the sheets and her mouth with the back of her hand.

Nicole pulled Waverly down for a rough kiss, all tongues and teeth. The brunette smiled against the kiss before pulling away. The redhead smiled goofily.

“Sure you’ve never done that before?” Nicole asked, voice rough like she had gravel in her throat.

Waverly blushed and slid off of Nicole so that she could press herself into her side. She settled her leg over Nicole’s hips and nuzzled at her jaw.

Waverly kissed just below her ear, fascinated by the way Nicole’s skin was glowing. “I had a good teacher,” Waverly whispered. 

Nicole turned her head to kiss Waverly’s forehead. She ran her nose lightly down the slope of Waverly’s until they nuzzled together. Nicole held Waverly’s hand against her chest, thumb stroking her palm as she spoke. 

“You enchant me, Waverly Earp,” Nicole said.

“That’s just the orgasm talking,” Waverly whispered. Nicole shook her head, pupils still blown. She maneuvered so that her arm was around Waverly’s shoulders, hugging her close. Looking up at the enchanted canopy Nicole shook her head again.

“You’re one talented little witch.”

“I’m not little,” Waverly emphasized with a small bite to Nicole’s shoulder.

“Ow,” Nicole chuckled, “Sorry, I take it back. You’re a piranha.” She reached her free hand out towards the bottom of the bed and the edge of the sheets flew to meet her fingers. She tucked the sheet around them and Waverly let her eyes shut. Waverly snuggled a little more into Nicole’s side, head on her shoulder. The heavy weight of sleep began to weigh on her, especially with Nicole’s fingers stroking the back of her hand soothingly.

Waverly’s heart swelled with emotion and she tried to keep her eyes open. Anything to spend just a little more time in this moment with Nicole. But she felt Nicole’s breathing even out and it lulled her, eyelids growing too heavy to stay open. Snuggling against the redhead, Waverly couldn’t wait to tell Chrissy absolutely everything.

***

In the back of her mind, Waverly wondered why they had even bothered getting dressed this morning. Her legs were wrapped completely around Nicole’s waist, her body sinking into the blue cushions of the couch across from the fire of the common room. In the back of her mind she was vaguely worried that the one fourth year Ravenclaw who hadn’t gone home might wander down, but it wouldn’t be the first time it happened. Someone was always being walked in on in the common room. In all likelihood, they would just slink away embarrassed back to the room.

“Nicole,” Waverly breathed out as she tilted her hips up towards the redhead, trying to be as obvious as possible. Arousal was pounding between her legs and she needed some relief. She groaned when Nicole pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and sucked, fingers curling into red locks.

Their half eaten breakfast laid forgotten on the coffee table. Nicole’s hand was under her shirt, rolling her nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Waverly moaned and grabbed Nicole’s wrist. She smirked, watching Nicole’s face as she guided her hand under the waistband of her flannel pajamas. She tilted her hips up into Nicole’s palm as the older girl took the reigns again. Her fingers dipped down to circle Waverly’s entrance and the brunette cupped the back of Nicole’s head to pull her down for a desperate kiss. Nicole’s fingers dipped just barely and Waverly sighed, ready for the relief she desperately needed. 

Suddenly Nicole’s body froze and Waverly felt the tension under her skin.

“Don’t fucking move or I’ll turn you into a pile of ash,” a low voice came from besides them. Waverly pulled away as soon as she recognized the voice. She looked up and saw Wynonna standing next to the couch, wand raised and pressed directly to Nicole’s head. Panic began in Waverly’s chest. 

“Wynonna-”

“Take your hands off my baby sister, you creep,” Wynonna continued lowly. Nicole slowly pulled her hand from Waverly’s pants, sat up on her knees and held her hands up in surrender.

“I’m an auror-” Nicole began before Wynonna cut her off. 

“I don’t give a fuck what you are,” Wynonna spat. 

Waverly glared at her sister, sitting up on her elbows as best she could with Nicole still straddling her lap. There was a dangerous look in her eyes that Waverly hadn’t seen in years. She could see Nicole’s eyes dart to her jacket hanging over the arm of the sofa where her wand was.

“Wynonna, leave her alone,” Waverly said pulling her legs out from under Nicole. She grabbed a couch pillow and smacked her sister’s arm with it. 

“Ow, hey-!”

Taking advantage of the brief distraction, Nicole dove for her wand and rolled out of the way. She pointed her wand at Wynonna and shouted, “ _Expelliarmus!_ ”

The wand flew from Wynonna’s hand.

“Fuck!”

She grabbed the pillow from Waverly’s hand and threw it at Nicole who knocked it out of the way easily. But not before Wynonna had retrieved her wand again, the weapon flying back to her hand and she shot a curse towards the redhead. Nicole rolled out of the way, ducking behind the couch as the spell hit a bookshelf.

“Stop!” Waverly said launching herself off the couch and standing between them. Wynonna had her wand poised towards the other woman, eyes on the couch Nicole had disappeared behind. “You’re being ridiculous. Both of you!”

“She had a wand at my head!” Nicole shouted from behind her cover.

Wynonna practically growled, “Come out, coward! Brave enough to try and fuck my baby sister but not to face me?”

Waverly turned on her sister and pushed her wand arm down. “Wynonna! What the hell are you even doing here?”

“I came to convince McGonagall to let you go home!” Wynonna said, “And good thing I did! I find this freak crawling all over you-”

“She’s my girlfriend, Wynonna!” Waverly shouted. She looked over her shoulder to where she could see Nicole peeking out from behind the couch. “Nicole, come out, please?”

The redhead narrowed her eyes at Wynonna suspiciously as she stood up slowly, wand still drawn. Waverly rolled her eyes.

“Wands away, please. Both of you,” Waverly said. They both reluctantly lowered their wands, Wynonna returning them to her robes and Nicole slipping it into the waistband of her pajamas.

“You didn’t tell me you were-...that you had a girlfriend,” Wynonna said, “How do I know you’re not under some kinda curse?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Waverly said crossing her arms in front of her chest, “This isn’t exactly how I planned for you to meet now, is it?”

“I would hope not,” Wynonna muttered. Her eyes left Nicole for the first time as she took in her sister. “Can’t you put on a bra or something. Jesus. Haven’t my eyes suffered enough already?”

“Yes, well, don’t you think it was a little unnecessary to threaten Nicole like that?” Waverly asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not at all,” Wynonna said with a smug grin, “Now pack up. I’m taking you home.”

Waverly’s heart sank and she shook her head. “I’m supposed to be here the rest of the week.”

“Yeah, well I’m not leaving you with _her_ ”, Wynonna said gesturing towards Nicole, “So come on. We’re going to Floo home. Go pack.”

Waverly puffed up her chest and stood her ground. “I’m not a child, Wynonna.”

She felt a soft hand on her back and instinctually leaned into her, body relaxing. 

“Waves, baby,” Nicole said from behind her, Wynonna scoffing at the term of affection, “Maybe you should just go.”

Waverly spun around to face Nicole. She felt betrayed, heart aching a little. “But I wanted to spend time with you,” she said softly.

“And we will. When you get back,” Nicole said with a soft smile, “We can still talk every day-”

“You’re trying to get rid of me?” Waverly asked in a small voice.

“Of course not,” Nicole said looping her arms around Waverly’s waist and kissing her forehead, “I just don’t want to cause any problems.”

“Waverly-” Wynonna began before her sister cut her off.

Waverly looked over her shoulder, “Wynonna, if you want me out of here so bad why don’t you go get my overnight bag?”

Wynonna glared at her for a moment before rolling her eyes and stalking up the stairs. Waverly turned back towards her girlfriend who had an amused smile on her face. Waverly put her arms around her neck and smiled back at her.

“Still feels like you’re trying to get rid of me,” Waverly teased.

Nicole brushed their noses together, “Baby, you know I would love to have you to myself for a few more days. But we both know that’s not going to happen now.”

Waverly pouted and ran her fingers over the bruise she left just under Nicole’s collarbone. “But I’d rather be with you.”

“I’ll be here when you get back,” Nicole said kissing her softly, “And hopefully next time I see you, your sister won’t try and kill me.”

The shorter girl rolled her eyes, “She’s harmless.”

Nicole just hummed and moved her arms around Waverly’s neck so she could hug her properly. Waverly hugged her around the waist, face pressed into Nicole’s neck. The redhead kissed the side of Waverly’s head and squeezed her tight.

“We’ll text and Facetime every day, okay?” 

Waverly nodded and lifted herself on her tiptoes to kiss her properly. She was definitely going to kill Wynonna for interrupting her alone time with Nicole. She may be going with her, but she wasn’t happy about it.

Wynonna stomped down the stairs purposefully, duffle bag over her shoulder. “Are you two done?” she grumbled as threw a cloak at Waverly. It hit her in the back of her head and she turned quickly to glare at her sister. “Put some clothes on. Gus is waiting.”

The younger Earp rolled her eyes and drew Nicole in for a purposefully long kiss before reluctantly pulling away. Nicole smiled and winked at Waverly, letting her arms fall from around her. Waverly picked up the cloak from the ground and shrugged it over her shoulders.

“I’ll see you soon, babydoll,” Nicole said softly with a wink that made Waverly swoon.

“You know how to get back to Hogsmead?” Waverly asked only because she wanted to spend as much time with the redhead as possible. 

“I’m practically an expert,” Nicole said, “Now go. Your Aunt is waiting.”

Waverly turned and Nicole gave her a quick pat to the ass. Waverly giggled and Wynonna rolled her eyes. The dark haired girl pulled a pouch out of her cloak pocket and took out a handful of Floo powder.

“You go first, Romeo,” Wynonna said throwing the powder into the fire. Green flames erupted from the hearth and Waverly stepped into them. 

“McCready house!” she said loudly and clearly, elbows tucked tight to her sides and eyes closed. Sometimes the rapid spinning of different fireplaces past her made her sick so she avoided watching. She felt herself jolt to a stop and quickly stepped out of the fireplace. Wynonna was right behind her, Waverly’s duffle still over her shoulder.

The warm familiarity of her home settled into Waverly immediately. Even if she was still mad at Wynonna. Her older sister stepped in front of Waverly before she could go to where she heard Gus in the kitchen. She poked roughly at the bruise Nicole had left on Waverly’s neck the night before as she dropped her bag with a thud.

“We are going to talk about this,” Wynonna hissed as Waverly popped up her collar to hide the bruise.

“Talk about what?” Gus asked as she walked into the living room. She had a box of old ornaments in her hands and stopped besides Waverly to kiss her cheek, “Glad you’re home, dear.”

Wynonna crossed her arms over her chest as Gus walked to the Christmas tree by the window. 

“I caught Waverly f-...making out with a g-...someone in the common room,” Wynonna said with a raised eyebrow, “Like a common hussy.”

Waverly flushed and reached for her wand in the cloak pocket. “You know I can curse you outside of school grounds now!”

“Girls,” Gus said calmly, not even turning around from where she was decorating the tree. She always insisted on spending the time doing it by hand. “Let’s not fight. Let me get through at least one day of peace.”

“But-!” Wynonna said pointing at Waverly.

“Wynonna,” Gus sighed, “If I had a sickle for every time I got a letter from Hogwarts saying you’d been caught in a compromising position, I’d be a much richer woman.”

Wynonna’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment and Waverly smiled triumphantly at her, wand hand resting at her side again.

“That being said,” Gus finally turned to face Waverly, “It’s not that Hardy boy, is it?”

Waverly shook her head and couldn’t help from frowning. 

“Good. Do they treat you right?” Gus asked pointedly.

Waverly wondered if the neutral pronoun was intentional, flushing a little at the implication. Still, she couldn’t help the smile that lit up her face when she thought of Nicole and how kind she was. How gentle and caring. Waverly just nodded.

Gus smiled and nodded curtly. “Very well. Invite her over for the holidays. I want to meet her.”

Wynonna gasped in shock and horror, looking between Gus and her sister. Waverly squealed in excitement and ran to her Aunt. She threw her arms around her neck and kissed her cheek before turning and sticking her tongue out to Wynonna.

“I’m going to ask her now!” Waverly said practically sprinting up the stairs to her room. She threw herself on the bed and pulled out her phone, typing a message to Nicole. The redhead wrote back almost immediately and Waverly was sure she’d float away in happiness.

***

Waverly stood outside the McCready house, rocking back and forth on her heels as she waited anxiously for Nicole. She had decided to stay with Waverly the week of Christmas, arriving on Christmas Eve since that was the first day she had off of work.

The youngest Earp, of course, was beyond excited. She had only been apart from Nicole for about six days but she missed her more than anything. All the texting and Facetiming in the world couldn’t fill the void. Waverly had tried to convince Nicole to Apparate to her at night just to see her, but the Auror insisted on doing this the “proper way”. She said the last thing she wanted was for Gus to meet her for the first time while she was sneaking into her home.

Waverly protested, but had to admit to herself that her girlfriend had a point. Nicole’s first encounter with Wynonna was-...less than ideal. She didn’t need a repeat of that. The whole week Wynonna had been huffing about Nicole coming over to stay. She would grill Waverly endlessly about her. She knew for a fact that Wynonna had tried to get her personnel file at work to investigate the young Auror. Luckily, Wynonna had nowhere near the right clearance to get that information.

It didn’t help that Wynonna absolutely hated the phone Nicole had given her. At least she pretended to. She said it was Dark Magic, but she caught Wynonna watching her play a game on it once.

Now Waverly just waited on her lawn for Nicole to arrive via broomstick. Something else she insisted on. Something about being responsible and impressive looking for Gus. Waverly saw a speck in the distance and squinted. She shielded her eyes against the sun for a moment until she saw a shock of red hair. Her heart started to beat wildly as the broom got closer. Nicole smiled at the brunette when she got close enough, landing near her. 

Waverly threw herself into Nicole’s arms the minute she landed, lips coming together in a hard kiss. She felt Nicole chuckle against her lips and pulled away to look up at her.

“You got prettier,” Waverly whispered.

Nicole blushed and ducked her head, “Waverly, it hasn’t even been a week.”

“You didn’t miss me?”

“Of course I did.”

“Good. I missed you,” Waverly said pulling her in for another kiss. 

A loud ‘pop’ went off near them and Nicole spun around, want raised towards the source as she shielded Waverly from whatever unknown spell had gone off. Waverly peaked from over Nicole’s shoulder to see Wynonna with her wand raised and a shit eating grin on her face.

“At least your reflexes are good,” Wynonna said tucking her wand back in her pants, “You’re lucky you didn’t shove my baby sister in front of you instead.”

“Wynonna!” Waverly huffed as Nicole lowered her wand, putting it back in her cloak, “Can you not?”

Nicole sighed and gave Waverly a reassuring smile over her shoulder. “Hello again, Wynonna,” she said with a stiff smile, “Nice to meet you again.”

The eldest Earp blinked at her sister. “She’s a Yank too?!”

“You didn’t notice before?” Waverly asked. 

“I was too busy trying to pry her off of you.”

“Wynonna, good to see you’re being hospitable to our guest,” Gus said as she walked out of the house. Gus saw Nicole and smiled widely at her, arms open. “Welcome, Nicole. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

The redhead smiled and held out her hand, but Gus pulled her into a hug instead. Wynonna rolled her eyes while Waverly beamed. 

***

“Waverly, no,” Nicole said firmly from her spot on the floor, “I’m perfectly fine down here.”

The brunette was practically hanging off the side of her bed to look at her girlfriend who insisted on sleeping on the spare mattress Gus had conjured up instead of in bed with her. Waverly pouted and tugged insistently on Nicole’s hand.

“Please?” Waverly whispered as sweetly as she could.

Nicole glared at her and she saw a little of her resolve breaking. 

“No.”

“Just to cuddle,” Waverly insisted.

Nicole raised an eyebrow at her, “Based on that very descriptive text you sent me yesterday, I’m going to say that’s a lie.”

Waverly groaned in frustration, despite the blush on her cheeks. “Gus won’t know.”

“I don’t want to risk it,” Nicole said, “I’m trying to be respectful of your Aunt.”

“If she didn’t want us to at least try something she would have never put us in the same room,” Waverly pointed out.

“It might be a test,” Nicole said. 

The moonlight from the big window next to Waverly’s bed highlighted Nicole’s features, making her skin look almost silver. Waverly weaved their fingers together. She couldn’t be apart from her any longer. 

She threw the covers off of herself and slipped off the bed and beneath the sheets besides Nicole. The redhead sputtered in protest but Waverly cut her off with a kiss. She slipped her cold hands up the front of Nicole’s shirt to warm them on her belly. For some reason it was satisfying to feel the muscles jump under her touch.

“You’re freezing,” Nicole said with a shiver.

“Then you better warm me up,” Waverly said wiggling her eyebrows.

Nicole looked at her for a moment before her resolve broke. She rolled her eyes and spun onto her back, pulling Waverly on top of her. 

“You better be quiet,” Nicole whispered as Waverly smiled in delight.

“Don’t you know a good silencing charm?” Waverly asked before kissing her.

***

Christmas was everything Waverly could have hoped for. They all sat around the living room and opened their presents. Waverly got some new quills from Gus for good luck on her N.E.W.T.S., another bottle of whiskey and a flask with a rude drawing on it from Wynonna and what looked like a larger phone with a bigger screen from Nicole. She said she had put every single Muggle movie and television show on it that Waverly needed to watch. Wynonna insisted they inspect it for Dark Magic.

Waverly got Nicole blue and maroon scarf with the Wampus mascot on it and her own leatherbound copy of ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’.

Something about having everyone she cared about in one room...well, Waverly certainly wasn’t going to cry in front of all of them. But it felt like something clicked into place. Like her heart had to swell to hold all the love she was feeling in that moment.

Gus was completely smitten with Nicole. The redhead was the epitome of politeness, always insisted on helping clean up and de-gnomed the garden in record time. Though Waverly suspected it was solely based on the fact that Nicole had brought Gus her favorite butterbeer cake from Honeydukes. 

Even Wynonna was warming up to Nicole. Even if she wouldn’t admit it. One night Nicole went downstairs to get water and never came back up so Waverly went down to check on her. That’s when she found her girlfriend and sister sitting on the floor of the kitchen, backs against the cabinets and sharing a bottle of fire whiskey between them. They were giggling and saying things Waverly couldn’t make out. She left them to it and made sure to make them both a big breakfast the next morning to help with the hangover.

Wynonna tried to act confused when Waverly kissed her sister’s cheek and whispered a ‘thank you’. But they both knew Wynonna knew exactly why Waverly was thanking her.

***  
On New Years, Nicole held Waverly tight as they sat on the roof. They had brought the tablet up and were watching a ball drop in New York on it. They had enchanted it to float in front of them so they could sit side by side, arms wrapped around each other. As they counted down, Waverly felt the excitement bubble up in her.

_Ten, nine, eight-_

Waverly took the fire whiskey out of her robe and took a pull before handing it to Nicole.

_Seven, six, five-_

Nicole took her own sip and pulled Waverly tighter against her.

_Four, three, two, one!_

As the ball dropped and confetti dropped from the sky on the tablet, Nicole leaned over and kissed Waverly soundly on the mouth. She smiled against Nicole’s lips and cupped her cheek, returning the kiss.

Fireworks sounded in the distance and on the tablet. They pulled away, faces still close.

“Happy New Year, babydoll,” Nicole whispered as she pushed some hair behind Waverly’s ear.

Waverly thanked the stars for making her this lucky.

***

Being back in classes was comforting, but also a bore. She needed to focus and worry about her N.E.W.T.S. that were now coming up in a few months. Instead she’d find herself thinking of Nicole. It was dumb, but most times she could recognize it and instantly switch back to her study mode.

Her first week back was busy so she didn’t get a chance to go see Nicole during the week. Nicole had also been put on extra patrols after the holiday, so she was finding it harder to sneak away. Waverly missed her desperately, but they texted all they could and Facetimed every night.

Waverly was looking forward to the weekend when she could go see Nicole at Hogsmead. It felt like it had been far too long. She just wanted to hold her hand as they wandered the shops. Or maybe snuggle up in her room above the pub, fire roaring. She sighed just at the thought. 

Her mind wandered to Nicole as she attempted to study in the library. Tonight she could finally go to Hogsmead and see her. The patrols would be minimal and she could sneak to the One Eyed Witch without a problem. 

Her phone buzzed with a message and she opened it quickly. 

_Nicole: Babe, I need you to do me a huge favor and not go into Hogsmead tonight._

Waverly frowned at the message. It was some sort of hike, surely. 

_Waverly: Why? I miss you._

_Nicole: I miss you too. Just please don’t come. Okay? I’ll try to see you later in the school._

_Waverly: But why can’t I go into Hogsmead?_

_Nicole: I just have a bad feeling. There’s been some weird people wandering around town and I don’t like it. Please, baby?_

Waverly stared at the message on her phone for a moment before sighing and typing back a quick reply. 

_Waverly: Okay. If you say so._

***

Maybe Nicole just didn’t know Waverly enough yet, or maybe it was because Nicole was hoping that Waverly would actually listen. Because Waverly certainly was not listening to Nicole when she told her to stay away from Hogsmead.

She finished her journey through the tunnel and out of Honeydukes. Waverly started towards The Three Broomsticks and had barely knocked on Nicole’s door when she was pulled in roughly. She blinked in shock for a moment but smiled up at her girlfriend just the same.

“Hey,” she said nervously.

Nicole looked relieved but...not entirely pleased. Her hands were still on Waverly’s arms as she looked down at her. “Why are you here?” she asked softly, “I told you to stay away.”

Waverly couldn’t help the hurt look that crossed her face when she shook her head. “I wanted to see you.”

Nicole hung her head for a moment, growling in frustration to herself. Her shoulders slumped, a little of the tension leaving her body before she looked back up at Waverly.

“I wanted to see you too. Don’t you know that?” Nicole said softly, “But I need you to be back at Hogwarts where it’s safe.”

“What’s happening?” Waverly asked with a frown, “What aren’t you telling me?”

Nicole looked up like she heard something that Waverly couldn’t, nostrils flaring for a moment as her shoulders tensed again. She looked back at Waverly, face serious.

“Waverly, babydoll, you need to get back to the castle,” Nicole said evenly, “I’ll take you.” She took a deep breath and kissed her before pulling away. She grabbed her coat off the bed, Auror badge pinned neatly over her left breast. Waverly always swooned just at the sight. Then she remembered Nicole was telling her what to do but not why.

Nicole put her hand on Waverly’s arm to guide her out of the room but the brunette pulled away. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on,” Waverly insisted.

The redhead ran a frustrated hand through her hair, eyes wild. 

“Waverly, please, I just need you to trust me-”

“But you can’t trust me enough to tell me what’s happening?” Waverly asked crossing her arms in front of her chest. There was a seed of anger there that flamed up. It was the same one that was there from the days of Wynonna telling her she was too young to do something. Or anytime someone thought she couldn’t do something because she was young or a girl. “I deserve to know.”

“You’re a _student_ -”

“That doesn’t seem to matter when you’re fucking me,” Waverly spat angrily. She was a little taken back by her own vulgarness and by the look on Nicole’s face so was she.

Nicole took a step towards Waverly and rubbed at her own eyes. “You’re right,” she admitted softly, “I just-...I don’t really know what’s happening. Okay? I just know something bad is happening and I need you gone. Please.”

“I can help,” Waverly said softening a little bit.

“I’m sure you can,” Nicole said seriously, “But I also know you can get in a lot of trouble for being out of the castle and I could lose my job for encouraging it. But mostly I don’t want you to be around when things happen. Because I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Waverly sighed and looked down at her feet. “Fine,” she muttered, “But I don’t like you being here either.”

Nicole smiled that roguish smile that always made Waverly’s heart flutter. “Darlin’, you’re dating an Auror now. We go towards the danger.”

“That’s so sexy,” Waverly sighed. She pushed herself up on her tiptoes and kissed Nicole soundly.

“Right,” Nicole said, “Now let’s get you out of here.”

She gripped Waverly’s hand and pulled her close, apparating them to the Honeydukes basement. There was a loud bang somewhere on the street and they both jumped, frozen in place for a second.

“You gotta go,” Nicole said opening the secret door for Waverly.

“Come with me,” Waverly said, eyes wide.

Nicole looked at her for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed her hard. She pushed the brunette into the tunnel and closed the door behind her. There was the click of a locking spell on the door and Waverly stood in stunned silence for a moment in the darkness. She could hear some vague shuffling and noises on the other side of the door.

Suddenly another loud bang and some screaming came from the other side and Waverly panicked. Fear gripped her chest and she pulled on the door to no avail.

_”Alohamora!”_

The spell bounced uselessly back at her and she felt hot tears well up in her eyes.

“Nicole!” she screamed against the door, waiting for some sort of answer that never came.

***

Waverly paced in her dorm. Chrissy was sitting cross legged on her bed watching her best friend wear a hole into the carpet. 

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Chrissy tried.

“She hasn’t answered any of my texts or calls or owls or anything!” Waverly countered, “I tried to get back through the One Eyed Witch tunnel again but she used some sort of spell on the door and I can’t get through anymore!”

“I haven’t heard about anything bad happening in Hogsmead last night?” Chrissy tried.

Waverly stopped, “We need a Daily Prophet. There has to be something in there. Right?”

Waverly threw on her coat and began down the stairs towards the common room, Chrissy close behind. Just as she was approaching the door, it swung open with McGonagall and Wynonna standing on the other side looking just as shocked to see her. Dread spread through Waverly’s chest. Warm and liquid. It settled in her belly and she was sure she was going to be sick. 

Wynonna looked serious. Too serious. 

She began to remember that day two Aurors came to their house to tell them that their dad and sister were gone. Killed by Death Eaters. It was her only really vivid memory of her childhood and now it was repeating itself.

“Wynonna,” Waverly said softly, voice cracking, “Where is she?”

Her sister stepped forward and placed both of her hands on Waverly’s shoulders. “She’s fine,” Wynonna began, “I promise you that. But-”

“But? There’s a but?” Waverly interrupted, the dread still spreading.

“She’s hurt,” Wynonna said, “It’s not bad-”

“Take me to her.”

“She’s in St. Mungo’s.”

“Wynonna, I need you to take me to her,” Waverly said, her hands shaking, “She’s there and she’s alone and I need you to take me to her.”

The dread had started to dissipate but it was replaced by nervous energy. She thought of Nicole all alone and afraid in a hospital room. Tears began to well in her eyes and she choked back a sob.

“Please, she doesn’t talk to her parents, her sister’s a Muggle she can’t-,” Waverly clapped a hand over her mouth and sobbed into it. She was immediately in Wynonna’s arms, face pressed against her chest as she sobbed. She wasn’t sure how long she was there sobbing against her sister, but it was enough to soak her shirt through. “Please, take me.”

“I....can’t,” Wynonna said with a shake of her head, “There were-...Death Eaters invaded Hogsmead. They were looking for you. I guess someone tipped off Bobo Del Rey that you were there and-”

“Nicole got attacked because of me?” Waverly asked, pulling back enough just to look at her sister.

“She got attacked because she was doing her job,” Wynonna said firmly, “And that’s why you can’t leave. They’re back to hunting down Earps. And the last thing I’m going to do is let you leave the castle. This is the safest place for you.”

There was a tired sigh behind them. “I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but I agree with Ms. Earp,” McGonagall said with a firm nod, “There’s no safer place than Hogwarts for you.”

Waverly shook her head, “No. I have to see her. Don’t you understand? She doesn’t have anyone!”

“I’m going to go see her later,” Wynonna said, trying to reassure her sister.

“Then take me with you,” Waverly ordered, “Either you take me or I get there on my own. Either way I’m going to see her. And it’ll be a hell of a lot safer if you just let me go with you.”

Wynonna sighed and looked back at McGonagall. The barest hint of a smile tilted her lips and she shook her head. “I think I know by now that there’s no more a dangerous creature then an Earp with determination,” she said with a raise of her eyebrow, “Ms. Earp, I take it you’ll get all your makeup work for the day from Ms. Nedley?”

“Yes, professor,” Waverly and Chrissy said together.

“Very well,” McGonagall said turning and leaving the Ravenclaw common room. 

Waverly breathed a sigh of relief and turned back towards Wynonna. 

“Okay, take me to her.”

***

Waverly followed Wynonna through the halls of St. Mungo’s, her heart beating out of her chest. Every time a stretcher passed, her eyes were drawn to it. She didn’t know if it would be better or worse seeing Nicole on one. But Wynonna seemed to know where she was so she followed her into a room that had two Aurors standing guard outside it. Wynonna flashed her badge at them as they entered.

Looking at the bed, Waverly saw Nicole laying there, red hair fanned out on the pillow. She stopped in her tracks for a moment, watching her lay there helplessly.

Wynonna told her that Nicole was fine. Mostly just a few broken bones and scrapes. Mostly she was just under observation because the Crucio curse had been used on her. That’s what made Waverly sick. The fact that someone could torture her that way.

Brown eyes opened slowly and found Waverly. A smile crawled over Nicole’s features and Waverly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey you,” Nicole croaked.

Waverly smiled and walked over to the bed. She reached for Nicole’s hand and covered it softly with her own.

“Hey,” Waverly said holding back her tears.

“Hey to you too, Red,” Wynonna said sitting heavily down on a chair next to the bed, “We all know I’m the Earp you were looking to see.”

Waverly wiping a stray tear from her cheek and leaned forward to kiss Nicole softly. “I can’t believe you got yourself put in the hospital,” she said brushing some red hair from her face.

“It’s not so bad,” she shrugged as Waverly looked over every single cut and scrape on her face, “Look, I got you something.”

Nicole reached towards her bedside table and plucked a chocolate frog card from it. She held it out to Waverly who took it with a confused frown. But then she looked down and gasped in delight.

“Nicole Haught,” Waverly said as Hermione Granger smiled up at her from the card’s surface, her neat signature scrawled below it, “How?”

“She came to visit me,” Nicole said with a smile, “Wanted to hear the story of how I took down a group of Death Eaters on my own. Before...Bobo took me out of course.” 

Waverly held the card close to her chest and she heard Wynonna muttering something about meeting the Minister too. She threw her arms around Nicole’s neck and held her tight. The girl winced and Waverly pulled back quickly.

“I’m sorry,” Waverly whispered kissing her gently instead.

“It’s fine, I’m just a little sore,” Nicole assured her. Waverly ran her fingers over a particularly nasty gouge on her left cheek, kissing it lightly.

“That one will scar,” Waverly said uselessly. It hit her that Nicole, her Nicole, was in the hospital because Bobo was looking for Earps. Her in particular. She held back more tears. The Earp curse was real. Everyone around them was destined to die.

“Waverly,” Nicole said getting her attention, “I’m fine.”

Waverly nodded. It was like Nicole could read her mind. Like she could feel what she was feeling. Her heart ached and she wished she could just crawl into bed with the redhead until she was better.

“I’m just worried about you,” Waverly confessed.

“Well you shouldn’t be,” Nicole said lacing their fingers together and squeezing her hand, “The doctor said I’ll be out by tonight. My bones are almost done mending then I can go. But you have to do me a favor.”

“Anything,” Waverly said quickly.

Nicole squeezed her hand affectionately, “Don’t come into Hogsmeade anymore.”

“But-”

“Waverly, there are spies there,” Nicole said seriously, “We don’t know who they are and if someone sees you there Bobo might show up again. Do you want me to fight Bobo again?”

The brunette wilted under that and sighed, “No.”

“I’ll still see you,” Nicole promised, “I have my ways. I just don’t want you risking sneaking out of the castle. Just for now, okay?”

“Fine,” Waverly relented, “As long as I get to see you.”

Nicole smiled, “Thank you, babydoll.”

The two stared at each other for a moment and Waverly felt the word on the tip of her tongue that she had been ignoring for a few weeks now. 

_Love._

Waverly felt it on Christmas with the way the lights reflected off her hair. And the way that Nicole smiled at her from across the room and laughed at all of Gus’ stories about Curtis. It was like Nicole had been there the whole time. 

“Ugh gross,” Wynonna said kicking her legs out and sinking further into the chair, “Oh um, I guess now’s a good time to mention that I convinced McGonagall to put me on Hogwarts duty.”

Waverly stood up straight, eyes narrowed, “Seriously?”

“What can I say, she’s always had a crush on me,” Wynonna said crossing her arms behind her head with a smug smile.

The brunette groaned and Nicole squeezed her hand to get her attention. “You know what would get back at her?” she whispered.

“What?” Nicole said with a smile.

“Kiss me.”

And she did.

***

“Ugh, it’s your fault we can’t go to Hogsmead anymore,” Beth hissed to Waverly as she passed by her on her way to the Slytherin table. Waverly glared at her but noticed the eyes of several more students on them.

“Mind your own business, Beth,” Waverly said before turning back to her salad.

“I was supposed to have a date this weekend!” Beth continued.

“Hey, Gardner, keep moving!” Wynonna said walking up to the group, “Who was the date with, freak? Your brother?”

Beth scoffed at the eldest Earp and turned back towards her own table. Waverly rolled her eyes and glared at Wynonna. The dark haired girl plopped next to Chrissy across from Waverly with a smile.

“Hey, little sis,” she said.

“You can’t talk to the students that way,” Waverly said stabbing her salad maybe a little too angrily, “You’re an adult.”

“Don’t insult me that way,” Wynonna said snatching a roll from Waverly’s plate and taking a large bite out of it. “When’s Haught Stuff having her next super illegal visit I have to pretend I don’t know about?”

Waverly blushed and shrugged, “Tonight.”

“Great,” Wynonna said stealing Waverly’s pumpkin juice too, “Don’t get caught, baby girl. I won’t save you.”

“Lovely,” Waverly sighed. If it wasn’t for the promise of seeing her girlfriend tonight, Waverly might have cursed her sister.

***

Waverly quickly ran up the steps to the Astronomy Tower, taking two at a time. She couldn’t wait to see Nicole. She had fully recovered from the time at St. Mungo’s. Waverly had her signed Hermione Granger card propped up next to the poster that was besides her mirror. As soon as she burst into the tower, her eyes landed on Nicole who stood smiling at her.

“Hey, baby,” Nicole said gesturing towards the blanket with enchanted candles floating around it and some food she had set up, “I um...wanted to take you on a little date.”

Waverly beamed at her and looped her arms around her neck.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. She brushed their lips together and Nicole held her close, lengthening the kiss. Waverly wasn’t going to complain at all. But there was something behind her lips that Waverly couldn’t quite put her finger on. She brushed it off when Nicole beamed down at her, dimples deep and eyes shining. 

They sat on the blanket, just talking softly and eating the snacks when Nicole got a little quiet. Waverly leaned over and squeezed her girlfriend’s knee. Nicole looked up at her sharply, concern harshening her features. 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asked softly. 

Nicole smiled a half smile that broke Waverly’s heart a little bit. She nodded and leaned back against some pillows she had propped up behind her. She kicked her legs out and gestured for Waverly to fill her lap which she did happily. 

She sat across her lap and Nicole brought her close, resting her chin on Waverly’s shoulder. The brunette had a knot of apprehension in her chest at Nicole’s quietness. The redhead placed a soft kiss on Waverly’s shoulder before she pressed their foreheads together. 

“I have something exciting to tell you,” Nicole said with a soft smile. Waverly looped her arms around her neck and played with the soft hairs at the base of Nicole’s skull. She licked her lips nervously.

“Then why do I feel like you’re not very excited about it?” Waverly said.

Nicole chuckled lightly, “I am it’s just-...I have to go away for a little bit-”

“What?” Waverly asked pulling away to get a better look at Nicole. It felt like her heart had been dunked in ice cold water.

“And I-...won’t be able to contact you. But, baby,” Nicole continued, “this is a good thing, I promise.”

“How long?” Waverly asked, “For how long are you gone?”

Nicole sighed and looked away for a moment before she looked back at her girlfriend. “I don’t know.”

Waverly felt like she couldn’t breathe, “So for a long time.”

“What? No, not that long.”

“But you said you didn’t know how long you’d be gone which usually means you’ll be gone a long time,” Waverly said quickly. She remembered her dad saying he was going to be gone for a little bit too. Then three months later he was dead.

“Baby, Waves, listen to me,” Nicole said cupping Waverly’s face in her hands so that she would look her in the eye, “I promise you it won’t be that long. It’s a huge honor to be chosen to do something like this.”

Waverly sniffled, trying to keep her tears at bay. She just forced a small smile that fell as soon as it appeared. 

“Is it because of me?” she asked softly, “Because they’re looking for Earps?”

Nicole shook her head, “I can’t say.”

“Is there anything I can say to make you stay?” Waverly asked sweetly.

Nicole just smiled sadly and pecked Waverly’s lips. “I promise you I’ll be okay.”

Waverly ran her fingers over the scar on Nicole’s cheekbone from her confrontation with Bobo. She wasn’t okay then. All because of Waverly and her stupid last name. She had to wonder if Nicole would be in these situations if it wasn’t for her. If she had never kept talking to her or kissed her, maybe Nicole would be perfectly safe and happy up in her little room above the pub.

“Hey,” Nicole said getting Waverly’s attention, she had a soft smile on her face, “I see what you’re thinking.”

“What?”

“You think this is your fault and it’s not,” Nicole said kissing her again, “Please know that.

She nodded even if she didn’t completely believe her. She knew there was no way she would ever convince Nicole to stay. And if it was really as big of an honor like she said, she wouldn’t want to ask her to stay anyways.

“I’m going to miss you,” Waverly finally said.

“I’m going to miss you more than anything,” Nicole replied.

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow.”

Waverly just nodded silently. She took a steadying breath and smiled as best she could. “Guess we should make the most out of tonight then.”

Nicole nuzzled their noses together and spoke against Waverly’s lips, “Then we will.”

***

They made love that night until they were exhausted. And then another time after that. Their limbs were heavy and boneless. Bodies moved together like liquid together, faces so close they couldn’t tell whose breath was whose. As Waverly came down from her high, body slick with sweat, she held Nicole close and felt the words she’d been holding back slip from her tongue.

“I love you,” Waverly said looking up into brown eyes.

She watched as it registered with Nicole that she didn’t mishear her. Her response was taking a beat too long and Waverly found herself rambling.

“And I hope you feel the same way or else this is really embarrassing for me and I might actually di-”

Nicole cut her off with her lips, chuckling softly against them.

“I love you too,” Nicole said against them, kissing her again, “So much.”

Waverly smiled and pulled Nicole down into her, heart exploding from happiness.

***

“Say it again,” Waverly whispered, head on Nicole’s chest. 

“I love you, Waverly Earp,” Nicole said with the same goofy smile, even after what felt like the millionth time of saying it. Though for Waverly it would never be enough.

Nicole looked up at the enchanted canopy, watching the night stars twinkle above them. They had moved down to the dorms, sneaking in so no other girls would notice. Hopefully. With the curtains drawn around them it did really feel like there was no one else in the room.

Waverly felt sleep behind her eyes, but wanted to stay awake as long as possible. She knew Nicole would be gone when she woke up, so maybe staying awake would mean she’d never have to leave. She traced a pattern on her chest, connecting invisible lines between the freckles on pale skin. They looked like constellations reflecting down from the sky above them. 

Waverly smiled and whispered again, “One more time.”

“I love you, Waverly Earp,” Nicole said again, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“I love you too,” Waverly said as she finally drifted off to sleep.

***

Waverly woke up the next morning with no Nicole. Instead the Gordian knot that was usually pinned on her coat sat on the pillow next to Waverly. She brushed her fingers over it and tried to remind herself that Nicole would be back soon. Probably sooner then she realized. She snuggled her pillow to her chest and breathed deep. It still smelled like Nicole. 

She already missed her, the feeling swelled her chest.

Her bed curtain was opened a little bit and she blinked against the light creeping in. Wynonna looked back at her, eyes squinting.

“Are you decent?” Wynonna asked, her voice muffled through the curtain.

“Yes,” Waverly said rolling her eyes. She plucked the knot from the pillow just as Wynonna laid down in the bed next to her. Her sister paused midway through putting a blanket over her, a look of horror on her face.

“Wait, did you guys...you know...do the do on these sheets?” Wynonna asked.

Waverly glared at her. “No!”

Wynonna looked at her suspiciously but sank into the bed anyways.

“How are you feeling?” Wynonna asked brushing some hair from her sister’s face.

“As good as I can,” Waverly muttered, “She’ll be back soon, right?”

Wynonna shrugged, “Hopefully. I know they try not to let people go undercover as Death Eaters for very long anymore. Not since dad.”

Waverly froze, knot clutched in her fist. “What? She’s...going undercover as a Death Eater?”

“Fuck,” Wynonna groaned, “She didn’t tell you did she? Fuck! Shit balls. She’s going to yell at me.”

Waverly sat up in bed, “We have to go get her back. Make her come back with us, something!”

“We can’t,” Wynonna said with her hand on Waverly’s arm, “She’ll be in more danger if we do.”

She knew her sister was right. She knew it would only be worse if two Earps went after Nicole. It could blow her cover and get her killed.

“I can’t believe she’s doing something so stupid,” Waverly said putting her hands over her face. She felt helpless. 

“Babygirl, listen,” Wynonna said sitting up and resting her hands on Waverly’s knees to get her attention, “Your girl is...so smart. She’s brave, and determined and was the only person right for the job. She’s going to kick ass and come back to you. Okay?”

Waverly nodded. She knew Wynonna was right, Nicole was all those things. She just hoped it was enough to bring Nicole back.

“Who is she looking for?” Waverly asked, dreading that she already knew the answer.

Wynonna gave her a knowing look, “We know who she’s looking for.”

“Bobo,” Waverly said running a hand through her hair. She felt the pressure building behind her eyes and let the first tear fall. She leaned forward and rested her head in Wynonna’s lap who stroked her hair while she cried.

***

Waverly bought a subscription to The Daily Prophet. Every morning it came, she’d scan the pages for any news about Bobo or Death Eaters. 

And every morning there was nothing.

***

Waverly marked another day in the little calendar application in her phone. Five weeks since Nicole left. She touched the Gordian knot she had pinned to her cloak just below her Head Girl badge, her heart aching for something it was never sure it would get again.

***

The owl came at the end of breakfast this time. It was smaller than the rolled paper clasped in it’s talons, tiny wings flapping rapidly as it quickly descended on the Ravenclaw table. Waverly almost didn’t see it until the newspaper was landing in front of her with a thud. She jumped back a little, blinking in surprise before she reached for it. 

She unrolled it quickly, Chrissy quickly moving around the table to sit beside her friend as she read.

_Bobo Del Rey, Captured_

Beneath it was a picture of the Death Eater staring straight ahead, wicked grin on his face.

_Last night, notorious Death Eater Bobo Del Rey was brought in after an extensive undercover operation by the Ministry of Magic-_

Waverly skimmed the rest of the article for any mention of Nicole but came up with none. She noticed for the first time a piece of parchment with a hastily scribbled note in her sister’s hand.

_We’re looking for her. You’ll be the first to know when she’s back. - Wy_

Waverly clasped a hand to her mouth and choked back a sob. 

***

As soon as Waverly stepped into the common room after patrolling the halls, Chrissy practically tackled her. She had a wide grin on her face, eyes wild. Waverly frowned at her, grabbing her arms to steady herself. 

“Waves!” Chrissy whispered excitedly, “I cleared out the dorm. Told them there was a mandatory mixer in the common room!”

She looked behind her friend to see a few disgruntled looking seventh year girls. “What are you talking about, Chrissy?” Waverly asked. 

“She’s back!” Chrissy said bouncing on her feet, “She came looking for you but you were patrolling!”

Waverly blinked, trying not to get too excited in case she misheard her friend. 

“Who’s back?” she asked hopefully. 

“Nicole!” Chrissy said as if it was obvious, “She’s in the dorm-“

Waverly took off up the stairs before Chrissy even finished her sentence. Her heart was pounding, threatening to break free from her ribs as she threw open the door. Sure enough, Nicole was sitting on the edge of her bed. She stood as soon as she saw Waverly, both just staring at each other in disbelief. 

Soon it was like something broke and they ran at each other. They met each other in the middle of the room, arms around each other and lips kissing any part of the other’s face they could until they finally found each other. Waverly held her girlfriend’s face between her palms and kissed her hard. Her heart had exploded from excitement, she was sure of it. 

They pulled back for a moment just to take each other in. Nicole was somehow lankier then when she’d left. Her hair was longer and black, dark bags under her eyes. But it was Nicole. Her Nicole. 

“You’re back,” Waverly said with awe. 

“I told you I would be,” Nicole said. There was a hint of a bruise on her jaw, lip split and swollen. Her smile was still enough to make Waverly’s knees weak. 

“You did,” Waverly said pushing hair behind Nicole’s ears. She grimaced a little when she noticed how messy and dirty Nicole’s clothes were. 

“You’re disgusting,” Waverly teased, “You sat on my bed like that?”

Nicole feigned offense, “Here I thought you missed me.”

“I did,” Waverly said, “But let’s get you cleaned up. Come with me.”

Waverly grabbed some pajamas for herself and Nicole from her drawer. Something just warm and comfy for both of them. She tucked them under her arms and laced Nicole’s fingers with her own again. Without a word or a glance at the other girls, Waverly walked with Nicole out of the common room and up to the Prefect’s Bathroom. 

“Mint sprig,” Waverly said to the door. It popped open and Waverly dragged Nicole inside. The other girl looked at the bathroom in wonder as the door automatically locked behind them. The lights were off and the moon provided most of the light for the room. It poured through the large stained glass windows that went around the room.They took a right into the large room towards the sunken bathtub, gold taps running all along the edge.

“Strip,” Waverly said with at least the decency to blush, “I’ll start the bath.”

Waverly hadn’t yet mastered all the taps of the pool sized bathtub. She was convinced that they changed every so often anyways so there was no point in trying to learn exactly what each one released. So she did what she usually did, turn on a bunch of different taps until she was satisfied with the amount of water and bubbles were in the water.

“You’re coming in with me, right?” Nicole asked lowly.

Waverly turned to look at her and nearly fell over when she saw her girlfriend standing there, draped in moonlight and nothing else.

“I um-...y-yeah, duh,” Waverly chuckled awkwardly as she turned back around. Turning off one last tap with a shaky hand, Waverly stood up. Nicole’s arms immediately enveloped her from behind and Waverly leaned back into her embrace. She felt hot tears spring to her eyes for a moment. Nicole was here, in her arms...she was back. Waverly had been so worried about her. Worried that the Earp curse would take her too.

She turned in Nicole’s arms, held her chin between her thumb and forefinger and guided their lips together. Waverly sighed into the kiss, letting her tongue dart out to trace Nicole’s lip. Nicole groaned, her grip around Waverly’s waist getting tighter. Soon Waverly felt her shirt being untucked from her uniform skirt and shaky hands start to unbutton it. Nicole’s hands smoothed over her stomach and she felt the hot throb of arousal begin deep in her stomach. Her hands fell to cup Nicole’s breasts, feeling nipples pebble against her palm as Nicole loosened her tie.

Shirt and tie were both soon discarded on the floor of the bathroom. 

Their lips never disconnected as Waverly toed off her shoes quickly and her skirt ended up pooled around her feet. Waverly pulled away for a moment just to rid herself of the rest of her clothing. The temperature in the bathroom was heating up fast.

Nicole was alive. Waverly could see her standing and breathing in front of her. But until she felt her entire body against her own and felt her heartbeat, she wouldn’t believe it. Spurred on by how Nicole’s eyes darkened as she took off her underwear and bra, Waverly straightened up with a cocky smile. She walked back towards the tub and slipped in. The water was warm and smelled like heaven. She sat on the ledge that ran around the sides so that she was covered in water and bubbles to just above her breasts. 

“Are you coming?” Waverly asked the redhead who had just been staring at her dumbly. 

Nicole snapped out of her daze and slipped into the tub next to Waverly who immediately filled her lap. The taller girl leaned back against the edge of the tub, her eyes up on Waverly the whole time.

Waverly pushed Nicole’s hair behind her ear, fingers tracing over her jaw. When her fingers passed over Nicole’s lips, her tongue came out and brushed the tips of her fingers ever so lightly. The act made Waverly’s entire body thrum with arousal, skin hot to the touch. Her fingers continued their journey, over Nicole’s chin and down her throat. 

Waverly scraped her nails lightly over Nicole’s torso, watching small red trails follow the path her fingers had taken. She sighed, leaned down to kiss Nicole and tweaked her nipples briefly. Nicole’s hips shot up so Waverly adjusted herself so that she was straddling one of Nicole’s thighs. 

When Nicole was gone, Waverly tried to imagine what it would be like when she was back. She had imagined a very romantic scenario. Flowers, a fire in some way, and the two of them making slow romantic love all night. But now that Nicole was here beneath her, Waverly just wanted to feel her. And if the hungry kisses and roaming hands were any indication, Nicole wanted the same.

Nicole’s hands found Waverly’s hips. The brunette felt Nicole flex the muscle of the thigh that was between her legs and push down on her hips at the same time. Pleasure exploded in her mind when she felt her core grind down into Nicole’s thigh. She gasped, hands tightening on Nicole’s shoulders.

She could feel Nicole smirk against her lips and repeat the motion again. Waverly couldn’t help but moan. She didn’t know how she had gotten so incredibly turned on in what felt like a matter of minutes. If she had to choose, she’d blame Nicole.

Waverly ran her fingers down Nicole’s body until they held her thighs under the water. She just ran her fingers up and down the thigh she wasn’t straddling, paying special attention to the apex of Nicole’s thighs. It was like magic. Every stroke of Waverly’s fingers, Nicole’s thighs fell open up a little more.

“I love you,” Nicole said as Waverly cupped her sex under the water.

“I love you too,” Waverly smiled, leaning down to kiss her. Waverly let her fingers wander through slick folds, just getting the feel of Nicole again. She watched as her eyebrows furrowed and lips parted in anticipation.

Waverly twirled her slick fingers around Nicole’s swollen bud, her free hand rolling Nicole’s nipples between her fingers. The redhead squirmed under Waverly, hips tilting and encouraging her to keep going.

She pressed gently at Nicole’s entrance and the girl just nodded. Her head fell to Waverly’s shoulder as the brunette slowly slipped her finger into her. Feeling Nicole’s heat envelope her again, Waverly felt like she could finally relax. Nicole kept a tight grip on Waverly’s hips and she began to move against Nicole’s leg in time with her own hand movements. 

Their foreheads came together as they moved, bodies perfectly in sync even after all the time apart. Waverly wrapped her free arm around Nicole’s neck as she doubled her efforts. She could feel her own orgasm skirting on the edge. It made her nipples feel extra tight and her whole body to feel like it was being pulled on a string. Nicole’s walls began to pulse around her and Waverly made sure her palm was pressed against clit with each thrust. 

The sound of the water rippling around them almost echoed over the marble walls. Nicole’s pants became breathier, fingers tight on Waverly’s hips as they guided her back down hard against her thigh. Suddenly the flood gates opened and Waverly felt Nicole clench hard around her finger. 

Nicole’s head tipped back in pleasure and Waverly nipped down her throat. It only took one more grind against Nicole’s leg to make Waverly’s body shutter against Nicole’s. The tension was released from her muscles and a warmth spread all the way to the bottom of her toes. 

They kissed desperately, hands gripping each other like they were afraid the other might float away if they let go.

“I missed you so much,” Nicole panted.

“I missed you too,” Waverly answered, smile quirking the corners of her lips, “I have you back.”

“I never left, baby,” Nicole said with that stupidly charming smile. Waverly ran a hand through Nicole’s hair and kissed her again.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Waverly whispered against her lips, “Then we have a lot of time to make up for.”

Nicole nodded with a smile and drew Waverly in close, their bodies never leaving the others for the rest of the night.

***

Nicole carefully took the Hermione poster down from Waverly’s wall. The Minister winked at her and Waverly chuckled when Nicole’s ears tinted a little.

Waverly packed the last of her clothes in her trunk and looked at the bare walls with some satisfaction. She looked at the envelope from MACUSA that was sitting on her empty bedside table. 

Nicole had gotten it that morning. It was to tell her where she was reassigned and when she’d be leaving the Ministry. Waverly picked it up, feeling the parchment crinkle beneath her fingers. She handed it to Nicole who shrugged. 

“Ready?” Waverly asked. 

Nicole lifted the wax seal off the back and shrugged, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Waverly waited anxiously as Nicole opened the letter, eyes scanning the page. She knew this wouldn’t change anything. Whether Nicole left tomorrow or in sixth months, they would be fine. She had put in applications to work at MACUSA and The Ministry. Both had accepted her to begin work once she was finished with school, it was just a matter of where she would end up. Rather, where Nicole would end up. 

In the months since Nicole came back, they had discussed what they were going to do when Waverly graduated and Nicole had to move back to MACUSA. It seemed like a no brainer, but they decided to move together, wherever they might end up.

Nicole carefully folded the letter back up and looked down at her girlfriend. 

“Okay,” she said with a nod, “I’m stationed in New York.”

“That’s good, right?” Waverly asked bouncing on her heels.

“Very good,” Nicole smiled, it faltered for a moment and she bit her lip, “That’s the rough part. I’m supposed to be there next week.”

“Next week?” Waverly asked, clutching the edges of Nicole’s jacket.

Nicole sighed, “I know that’s sooner than you wanted to go-”

“It’s perfect,” Waverly said shaking her head. A smile lit up her face as she jumped a little in excitement, “Look, I’m already packed.”

The taller girl sat on the edge of Waverly’s bed and wrapped her arms around her waist. She pulled her between her legs and Waverly’s hands settled high on her chest. She pressed a kiss to Waverly’s cheek, “You’re perfect.”

The brunette blushed and kissed the scar on her cheek then the bridge of Nicole’s nose. 

“America,” she said softly, smile crinkling her eyes, “I’ve always wanted to go.”

She kissed Nicole, their lips sliding together effortlessly. Even after months her heart still felt like it was about to burst every time they kissed. She wondered if she knew, from the first moment she laid eyes on Nicole, that she would follow her anywhere.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to yell at me and talk about Wynonna Earp/Harry Potter head canons, find me here [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bootsncatz) or here [Tumblr](http://bootz-n-catz.tumblr.com).


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